Judah Holiday

Miami-based singer/songwriter Judah Holiday delivers a timeless breed of pop music full of infectious melodies and hypnotic beats, a dynamic that makes every track instantly euphoric. On his forthcoming debut LP, that warm and breezy sound serves as a backdrop for his deeply reflective lyrics—and ultimately turns his unflinching honesty into something powerfully life-affirming.

The lead single from Holiday’s debut, “Good Life” brings his nuanced songwriting to a piano-laced and impossibly sunny track sparked from a 2018 stint in rehab. “I started taking Adderall as a kid because I was a terrible student, and after a while it just became a part of me,” says Holiday. “I basically grew up thinking that I needed medication in order to do well in life.” Co-produced and co-written by Kevin Rudolf (the singer/songwriter/producer known for his four-times-platinum hit “Let It Rock”), “Good Life” brilliantly counters the bleakness of rehab with the brightness of sobriety—a contrast brought boldly to life in the song’s riveting video.

Growing up in the Bronx, Holiday began playing drums at age seven, then moved on to guitar in order to explore his natural affinity for melody. After writing his first song at age 14, he steadily built up a body of work showing the strength of his melodic talents, and later began gigging at iconic venues like CBGB Gallery. Although he quickly became a regular on the Lower East Side scene, Holiday increasingly longed for a change of pace, and in 2011 relocated to Miami. With his surroundings igniting an intense fascination with electronic dance music, he then immersed himself in studying production and introduced a whole new vitality into his sound. He also soon crossed paths with Rudolf, after serendipitously buying a guitar from his fellow New York native. “I played him some acoustic versions of songs of mine, and he ended up digging them, and now we work together almost every day,” Holiday says.

As his artistry has evolved over the years, Holiday’s music remains rooted in a classic sense of songcraft (largely inspired by his lifelong love of artists like James Taylor and Neil Young) and—above all—his undeniable intuition for unforgettable melody. “Usually the melodies come to me at the most unexpected times, like waking up from a nightmare at 3 a.m. or being out at breakfast with a bunch of friends,” Holiday points out. And by rigorously following those instincts, he continually channels a feel-good energy into even the most vulnerable material. “I started making music because I had a lot of trouble expressing myself, and songwriting was a way for me to speak my mind without interruption,” says Holiday. “Today I still just write based on what I’m feeling in the moment, and if it ends up connecting with people and makes them want to sing along, then that makes me happy too.”