Julia Stone, a rising chanteuse from Australia, sounds like a bird, and not only because is her voice sweet and clear. She also sings like it’s in her nature, as if she’s speaking. Speaking directly to our hearts, that is. Julia first caught listeners’ attention in 2007 as part of brother-sister duo Angus and Julia Stone, who topped the UK iTunes charts with their first double EP and then went platinum in Australia with their debut album A Book Like This in the same year. Julia and Angus made irresistible sing-a-long folk-pop, and licensers like the Twilight TV show and Maybelline jumped, boosting their visibility even more.

After touring three continents, both artists decided to pursue solo projects. Julia wowed listeners with her more intimate style in The Memory Machine. Her quick follow-up, 2012′s By The Horns, keeps the songwriting candor, but adds some muscularity and even aggression to the heart-wrenching honesty.