Emily Zemler
View all posts by Emily Zemler March 19, 2026
Julia Cumming performs on 'The Tonight Show' Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Image Julia Cumming appeared on The Tonight Show to perform her single “My Life.” The musician, singer of New York rock trio Sunflower Bean, recently announced her first-ever solo album, Julia, set for release on April 24.
Cumming showcased the smoky, ’70s-inspired tune with the help of a live band and two dancers, who lent an ethereal quality to the performance. “I don’t do this to impress you/ I don’t wear this to undress you,” she croons on the self-confident song. “I don’t need you to define me/ Or approve of what’s inside me.”
Cumming shared “My Life” in February alongside the album announcement. “This song came after a period of intense pressure, the culmination of writing through the pandemic and the years spent in the rhythm of touring, recording, and trying to find my place within it all,” she said in a press release. “Then something shifted. It was liberation, and I knew immediately it was the beginning of something new.”
The singer recorded Julia with collaborator Brian Robert Jones (who’s played with Paramore and others) and producer Chris Coady (who’s made indie classics with Beach House, Grizzly Bear, and more). The album also features contributions from top session aces like Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner and Beck sideman Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
