Julian Velard

Julian Velard gained notice during an era when introspective piano-driven songwriting regained traction. His distinctive take blended elements from Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson alongside Elton John and Billy Joel, a mix that did not yield sustained mainstream sales yet fostered sporadic online breakthroughs and a loyal following drawn to his off-kilter pop sensibility.

Born and raised in New York City, Velard completed studies at Fiorello LaGuardia High School, the arts-focused public institution featured in the movie Fame. He refined his skills at Hampshire College and began composing seriously, issuing the self-released album Nitetime in 2003, while holding various temporary positions that ranged from street sweeping to teaching physical education in elementary schools. Early social-media uploads attracted attention during the peak of online creativity, resulting in a deal with EMI in Britain and a relocation to London, where he worked with producer Steve Power on a full-length project. Anticipation built around the single “Jimmy Dean & Steve McQueen” and the EP The Movies Without You, yet his intricate harmonies and distinctive baritone proved incompatible with the radio-friendly sound associated with Jamie Cullum or the Fray. Shortly before EMI folded, Velard reacquired his intended 2007 debut The Planeteer and released it independently; the record yielded an unexpected success in the Netherlands with the buoyant track “Joni.”

Online momentum and the audience cultivated before The Planeteer provided steady support for later work. After returning to the United States, he became a regular presence at venues such as Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub, and the piano karaoke spot Sid Gold’s Request Room. In 2009 he issued the self-released covers EP Another Guy’s Song, followed in 2011 by the solo album Mr. Saturday Night, whose tracks “Love Again for the First Time” and “The Guy Who” accumulated notable streaming numbers. The 2012 EP Person of Interest came next.

Thereafter Velard’s releases grew more thematic. The 2014 album If You Don’t Like It, You Can Leave formed a jazz-inflected suite centered on his affection for New York City and generated his first track to surpass one million streams, “New York, I Love It When You’re Mean.” The 2017 set Fancy Words for Failure examined celebrity through the lens of an impromptu meeting with a street performer during his major-label period, an encounter that inspired the song “The Night Ed Sheeran Slept on My Couch.” Around the same time he secured additional work, appearing on NPR’s game show Ask Me Another and securing a recurring role improvising material on The Howard Stern Show.

Equally devoted to Stephen Sondheim and the classic piano-pop figures, Velard composed Please Don’t Make Me Play Piano Man in 2020 as the soundtrack to an imaginary musical. Plans for live productions were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he relocated with his wife and children from New York to California. In Los Angeles he established himself in theater and comedy spaces, notably serving as music director for the Give Back-ular Spectacular, a benefit co-produced by comedian Paul Scheer to aid the 2023 Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes. Working with producer Dave Way, he completed his seventh album, the relaxed 2024 collection In the Middle of Something, which explores midlife themes.