Swedish singer and songwriter Juli von Lou carves out her own space at the crossroads of country, folk, and pop as she releases the single 'To A Girl From West Virginia' on October 6, 2026. The track is available on major streaming services and offers a first glimpse of her highly anticipated debut EP The Tales of a Honky Tonk Alien, which will be released on November 6, 2026 via Promised Land Records.
From its opening seconds, 'To A Girl From West Virginia' establishes a striking intimacy. The song starts with a creaky piano and the sound of Juli's own breathing, quickly placing the listener in a quiet, unfiltered space. The mood is gradually lifted by swelling strings, but the vulnerability and stripped-back arrangement remain. For Juli, this is her most important composition to date—a story of heartbreak, but also of healing and personal transformation. The inspiration came from an encounter with a woman from West Virginia, who gave Juli a new perspective on love and, ultimately, on herself. The relationship never turned romantic, but the experience made Juli feel valued and seen in a way she had previously lacked. “She made me feel worth something and seen. I saw so much of myself in her, but I loved her—not myself,” Juli recounts. “I realized that I needed to believe I was worth saving. If not for me, then for her.”
The song's significance remains with Juli, marking a decisive turning point both artistically and personally. "She will always be the one who made me understand that I was worth loving," she summarizes. Longing and self-acceptance permeate the song, in line with the thematic threads on Juli's upcoming EP.
At the same time, a music video for the single is being released on October 7, 2026, inspired by director Nadia Lee Cohen's ideas of 'unrealistic hyperrealism'. The video was largely created, directed, and edited by Juli herself together with filmmaker Romain, and was shot in the Swedish woods where Juli grew up. The film offers a powerful visual metaphor for leaving behind a destructive past, culminating in a scene where Juli literally sets fire to her old self. The project was a collaboration among family and friends: her father assisted with location and logistics, grandparents appeared as extras, and local friends helped with effects and transportation.
On The Tales of a Honky Tonk Alien, vintage romanticism, queer feelings, and a fascination with rootlessness and belonging are woven together. The EP is produced in collaboration with songwriter Askjell Solstrand (known for work with Aurora and Sigrid), and moves between lush, theatrical arrangements and stark, stripped-down moments. “I don't like when things end up in between. Either you go small, or you go big,” Juli herself notes. Her uncompromisingly emotional expression has already begun to form a unique artistic universe, clearly anchored in earlier releases like 'Desert Hills Motel' and 'Honky Tonk Angels'.
Juli von Lou grew up in a remote industrial area in the Swedish countryside—a place she compares to the American Midwest, but without the dream of the future. Influences in her childhood included folk music, bluegrass, her father's vinyl records, and idols like David Bowie and classics from the 1960s. In her songs, she mixes folkloristic imagery, rural settings, and queer stories into something both nostalgic and defiantly contemporary. Even before her first official release, Juli attracted large audiences as a headliner at The Grace in London, underscoring her special appeal to listeners seeking new, emotionally intense stories.
With her debut EP on the horizon, Juli von Lou invites listeners deeper into her cinematic universe of wistful romance and self-reflection, promising a sound that is as enigmatic as it is familiar. The Tales of a Honky Tonk Alien is set for release on November 6, 2026 via Promised Land Records.
