None of us know the plans God has for us. No statement had ever been more accurate than in March 2020 before the world changed forever. With the COVID-19 pandemic, so many of us experienced prolonged isolation like we never imagined.  As weeks turned into months and - for some - into years, our isolation led to loss. We all grieved the loss of loved ones, relationships, time and memories we would never have. For some, the pandemic was a time of reflection, maybe re-evaluation.  For others, it was a time to get household projects done, bond with family and enjoy a simpler life. And for others, it was a time of utter heartbreak. No matter what the experience, for everyone it was a time of change.

“The Dreamer” is independent singer/songwriter Julie Elias’s newest album and was birthed in this time of uncertainty.  As an optimistic adventurer, the idea of being confined and stuck was something Julie had never experienced. “I had the range of COVID emotions,” says Julie. “On one hand, I was so blessed to have another job that was considered ‘essential’ to pay my bills. Without traveling, I got to spend a lot of time with my dogs and horses that brought me a lot of inner peace. But I hated not getting to see family and out-of-state friends whenever I wanted. Without traveling to sing and lead worship, I was so worried about being forgotten as an artist who didn’t have label support or a huge fanbase. My loneliness was exacerbated like never before…the insecurities that I had somewhat worried about previously became overwhelming; I had anxiety like I never had experienced. I forgot what it felt like to get excited for anything…and frankly, I was afraid to since everything seemed to end in disappointment.” 

And what a change this was for such a positive, busy, on-the-go person. For as long as she can remember, Julie had big dreams and worked hard for them. After graduating college, including a two-year study abroad in London, she moved to Hollywood to try her hand at acting. Several years of persistence and hard work led to small appearances on shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “CSI:NY” and even a few feature films, but something wasn’t right. It was fun and a great experience, yet without purpose. The constant scrutiny and pressure to be beautiful and thin outweighed the joy of acting, especially in a community where everyone was willing to do whatever it took to look perfect. “I know that God didn’t create me to be constantly beating myself up. That’s not how I wanted to live in my early 20s when everyone else I knew seemed to be thriving,”  Julie remembers. “So I prayed for the very first time that God would give me big-picture direction. Even if that meant changing everything, I was ready to do something that mattered.”

“I forgot what it felt like to get excited for anything…and frankly, I was afraid to since everything seemed to end in disappointment.”

As only God can do, He opened doors into Christian music. Growing up going to church in a Christian family, Julie never imagined herself being on a platform.  But God used her unique story, a love for music and her passion for people to create a fulfilling ministry.  In the last decade, Julie released five albums, headlined concerts, performed in multiple states and countries and became an in-demand worship leader, artist and speaker. In 2014, she created a 501(c)3 Non-Profit called Aurora Ministries that creates events, content, music and resources for teenagers, especially teenage girls. In 2021, she began opening for award-winning comedienne Chonda Pierce’s national tour in over 90 cities, singing throughout the night and loving the road experience.

After a 5-year break from releasing new music, “The Dreamer” is full of inspiration from life, love and the world around us.  Julie’s musical style doesn’t fit the cookie cutter mold of a particular genre, something she appreciates about being an indie artist. Musically the style is all her own; there are elements of pop, rock, worship, even some country, a bit of 80s and a dash of musical theatre. “I feel like I needed to have an album that properly reflects my own Apple Music playlists,” she laughs. And why not? To create a musical journey for the listener, it makes sense to have varying styles that keep the sound fresh that fit the message of the lyrics. 

As the producer and writer of all of the original songs on the album, Julie gets creative license to make the songs she wants, the way she wants them. Of course, a team is more than just one person and the musicians and collaborators on this album have some of the most impressive resumes in music.  “It’s wild when you walk in a studio and see someone’s Grammy on the shelf or a Gold Record on the wall. To me, it’s not intimidating; it makes me so incredibly grateful for the people God has put in my life,” she says with a smile. Many of the musicians on this record have been a part of Julie’s ministry since the beginning and have become friends. “You feel like they aren’t just people you’re paying to work for you, they are there for you; they’re actually doing their best with their amazing talents to make YOU win. And that is so encouraging.” 

When coming up with the theme for the album, it had never been easier.  The combination of personal struggles and the aftermath of COVID kept bringing Julie back to one of her favorite verses: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19) Julie says, “What COVID did for me - and so many others - was force me to spend time with…me. I had to face the things about myself I didn’t like. I had to live with my insecurities because I no longer had the distraction of ‘life.’ But I couldn’t change the past and worrying about it didn’t do any good. I had to trust God that this ‘new normal’ would NOT be my forever future, to keep my head above the anxiety, so I wouldn’t be consumed by it. There is something good He has for me and I have to look for it.” Almost every song comes back to this scripture in one way or another, whether it’s about asking God for strength to close a chapter or for wisdom to see what He is doing. In Julie’s case, specifically asking Him to restore her hope so she could find the joy in dreaming again.

“I had to trust God that this ‘new normal’ would NOT be my forever future, to keep my head above the anxiety, so I wouldn’t be consumed by it. There is something good He has for me and I have to look for it.”

The first single of the album is the title track, “The Dreamer.” With remnants of 80s rock (think: Heart and Pat Benatar), this is a powerful song with a big melody and a bigger message.  One of the hardest questions in life isn’t always “Why Me?” It’s “Why Not Me?” We all wonder why life seemingly works out for those around us, but we are left lacking. This song is not about jealousy; it’s about understanding that their plan isn’t YOUR plan…and that’s okay. Because God still loves you and He has a purpose for you, even if it doesn’t fit the picture you painted in your mind. God’s timing is one of the greatest mysteries and we will never understand it. We need to keep looking to Him when life gets hard or seems unfair because He knows the plans He has for us, plans to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).  “The chorus of this song is the very first part I wrote…I couldn’t let it go: ‘You still love the dreamer, the broken-heart believer, the hero left unsung. With a promised hope I cling to all I know You can do and I know that You’re not done with the dreamer I’ve become.’ You don’t know how many times I have needed to remind myself of this. Feeling like I deserve something or want recognition that doesn’t come…but God says HE will take care of me and He is who I need to serve and trust.”


The opening song on the album, “Free,” sets the mood for the whole album as a post-COVID mentality: literally being free from lockdown and mentally free from the fear of the disease. But at its deepest level, it is about knowing who YOU are and not letting other people tell you how to think, feel or act.  The boxes other people put us in only have power if we let them. God has not put us in a prison, so why do we let others make one for us? “I’m not perfect but I’m not a mistake,” says Julie. “That phrase came to me and it kind of has been the mantra for a lot of this album. I’m a work in progress and no one can judge me for trying my best. I want other people to understand that.” “Free” is one of many songs that has almost a rock-country vibe to it. Others in this category include “Mojave,” named after the southwestern desert to create an allegory for feeling abandoned but finding relief in God’s presence and is one of Julie’s personal favorites, “Stampede,” which is about keeping your eyes on the big picture when the little details of life get overwhelming.  It is very much about anxiety, when little things build up on each other until you practically feel suffocated and can’t think straight. Asking God to give you strength to take things one step at a time is key to overcoming stress and worry, as well as courage to face it before it overtakes you. 

Things take an 80s-pop turn on “Radiant Love,” a happy, worshipful song about God’s beauty in the world around us. When we look for His goodness, we need to start looking in the world around us. The 80s feel continues on the original worship song “HeartSong” about the fullness of God’s affection for us – His acceptance, His love and ultimately our redemption – and our heart’s response to this, through singing and praise.  On “Phoenix,” the rock energy fuels a powerful message of transformation, God using our past brokenness to turn us into something stronger. Julie loves “that scripture about being ‘glad’ in your weakness so you have to trust God more and therefore you have more of His strength when you’re weak (2 Corinthians 12:9) and this verse inspired this song, as well as of course the image of the phoenix being born from the ashes. I just love the idea of something so beautiful coming out of destruction and I think that’s how God sees us.”

The energy on the album was very important to Julie: “I have never liked albums where every song sounds the same and by the fifth song, you’re kind of tired of it. I want fans to go on a journey when they listen, not hang out in a parking lot.” This was especially crucial on “The Dreamer” which has 16 songs, Julie’s longest album to date.  “Truth” and “I Won’t Hold Back” bring that energy, as well as the songs above. But to bring the variety, “River Runs Dry” is the biggest departure from the musicality of the album. In one of her more contemplative moments, this song speaks of an ending but one that is calmly accepted. We all have experienced “honeymoon phases” and when they end, we ultimately know it wasn’t meant to be…yet we still don’t know what is next. “Swan Song” continues this idea, in a Billy-Joel-esque way of storytelling. Specifically this is about a performer who has loved her career but has missed out on so much.  She has finally decided to leave the stage to pursue the things she didn’t have time for before.  Of course, this theme applies to so many of us who know we are ready for a new chapter and know the cost is leaving something else behind. For those wondering if this song is at all autobiographical, Julie says with a smile, “No comment.” 


The cover songs were carefully chosen, every one of them having a unique story behind it. “You Make Me Brave” written by Amanda Cook is a worship song about finding courage in the Lord and getting out of your comfort zone, something we as Christians don’t always do like we should.  Julie first heard this song come on a random playlist years ago while preparing for a teen girl’s conference in Western England. “I was sitting on these cliffs, overlooking the ocean and listening to a worship playlist, and this song came on with the lyrics – ‘as your love, in wave after wave, crashes over me’ – and I immediately restarted it. This song was describing my current state of being, both literally and figuratively, with some things I was struggling with.  Every time I sing this song since then, I remember that moment I heard it so vividly. And so fondly.” Another worship song on the album is Jenn Johnson’s “Goodness of God.” Arguably one of the most popular worship songs of the last few years, this song has meaning no matter if you are in a good or bad season. Perspective is an amazing gift and sometimes when life is the hardest is when we need to count our blessings and remind us of the ways God has been so good to us.  The third worship cover is a lesser-known song by Melody Noel called “Mistakes.” Julie first heard it several years ago as a mash up with Lauren Daigle’s “You Say” at a local church. “I heard this bridge ‘I won’t waste another day believing words You didn’t say,” says Julie, “and I was like…I have got to know the rest of this song!! The words of this song are SO powerful- just listen for yourself; I shared the original with so many through the years and I can’t wait to be sharing it in person through this new version.” 

The other two covers on the album are a little…different. “You Have To Be There” is written by the two gentlemen from the 70s sensation group, ABBA (Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson) and was written for a Swedish musical. Julie actually learned Swedish in college to be able to understand this musical and learned the song in Swedish to sing live – but don’t worry, the version on this album is indeed in English.  The song is about the darkest moments when we actually question if God is still with us as the world crashes down, but then us quickly overcoming that doubt with a declaration that He IS there. It’s one of the more intense songs on the album, even featuring swelling strings reminiscent of a musical theatre performance, but thematically fits with the album in an unexpected way.


The last cover is of “The Prayer,” the Celine Dion/Andrea Bocelli classic that many people outside of Christian music will know well. “This is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard,” says Julie. “I have sung it live so many times and I can never, ever get tired of it. It’s perfect, especially when you have the right duet partner.” In this case the duet partner is an extra special guest. When Julie was studying abroad in London, she saw “The Phantom of the Opera” in London’s West End. That performance is what inspired her to take her first voice lesson and her first acting lesson, effectively changing the course of her life. That performance made her want to perform; it made her want to share stories through acting and music. The man who played the Phantom is a Welsh actor named John Owen-Jones…and that is who sings with her on this album. John Owen-Jones has played the Phantom almost 2,000 times in the West End, Broadway and worldwide.  He has also played Jean Valjean from “Les Miserables” in multiple runs in the West End and on Broadway and has many other impressive credits. Julie says, “To put it simply…he is the best male vocalist I have ever heard. Period. I first met him over 15 years ago as a fan at the stage door and to have John sing on this album is the most full-circle moment I could imagine. I am still in awe - and so, so, SO grateful - that he agreed to do it on one of my favorite songs ever written.”

THE FUTURE
Creating this album also inspired Julie to realize another dream: to write a book. For her girl’s events, she has written short booklets to tie into her speaking topics, but she has wanted to do a full book and a workbook study for young women to do in groups or on their own that is available for people who can’t attend in person events. The book will be directly related to the music on “The Dreamer” and go deeper into the themes behind the songs of the album, as well as personal stories and inspiration for the songs. It will also have unique insight into the music writing, creation and production process that any music fan will enjoy. 

It is clear “The Dreamer” is Julie’s most personal album to date and in turn has been the most difficult and time-consuming. “I wanted it done right. I wanted to do my best. Things can change in an instant. I am grateful to be here in this moment, but I don’t know how long it will last.  I want to live my best life and to love people; I want to find joy and to serve God with whatever time I have here on earth. And I hope this album inspires you to do the same. I want you to know, if you’re reading this, God is not done with the dreamer YOU’VE become. Don’t be ashamed to wander; wish upon a star; cling to hope…and let’s dream together.” 

The “The Dreamer” is available on all digital music platforms and at JulieEliasMusic.com on April 21, 2023. Julie’s first book will be available in early Summer 2023.