Today we’d like to introduce you to Julian Forest Murray-Sibby.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Julian Forest is a Southern California native. Named after the nearby mountain town, they have always held the wilderness dear while in reality they came up from the suburban concrete in Temecula. While the world hadn’t caught it yet, Julian was a boy. Skinned knees and endless energy, singing the classics and shifting the gears of the old burgundy honda with their father. Their connection with music was innate and colored their world with a vibrancy like nothing else. Picking up a guitar at the age of 8 and writing songs by 11, Julian processed the world around them through song, finding their identity as an artist to be the only constant in the life that unfolded before them.
Julian studied history at UC Berkeley, retreating to their guitar in the orange glow of the bay in their solitary time. Disillusioned with the state of the world after graduating in 2018, they left for Australia alone with a guitar for the better part of a year. Roaming alone freed them to collide with artists and travelers, but left them longing for community. Heading back to the states, they picked up and moved to Seattle to create; working in coffee, baking and other odd jobs while writing, the pandemic brought the world to a stop. Just as many artists had, Julian spiraled. Without the motion of the world as a distraction, nothing could hold them from the discovery of themself. Admitting that their gender dysphoria had kept them from living authentically was one of the hardest facts they had ever faced. The darkness of this time yielded to the light as Julian began recording and releasing their own music. Writing and producing with friends, they gained momentum both artistically and emotionally.
In 2022, Julian fully embraced himself as a trans person through top surgery while independently releasing his second EP. Since, Julian has returned to San Diego to build a band around the sound, starting with his best friend since birth, Anthony Suraci on drums. Picking up momentum in 2024, Julian and friends have played local venues like Soda Bar and Quartyard, throwing street shows all over the city from Gaslamp District to Balboa Park. With the help of LA and SD creatives, their first music video “See You Around” was shot all around Downtown, North & South Park in beautiful San Diego. Summer 2025 was full of high notes, as they executed a grassroots “Busking Boy Tour” up the west coast playing free public shows all over California! They just released their “7 Days a Week” EP and are set to put out another single soon. You can find Julian hanging out at the Ould Sod for Writer’s Round or playing a local gig around town. Keep up with him on instagram @thejulianforest or on TikTok for behind the scenes fun @thejulianforestt
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Think I laid out the struggles in the narrative I wrote out in the last question!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
While I identify as a musician, my voice is my true instrument. It’s my calling. I think my voice is my most authentic form of expression and allows me to be vulnerable with almost anyone. I’m able to give a piece of myself out to everyone who hears.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was always up for a challenge. I was pretty competitive and fearless. I was always juggling a range of creative, academic and athletic endeavors. Mock Trial and basketball. Mountain biking and Backpacking, singing and playing, theater etc. I was always silly and still am to this day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/julianforest
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejulianforest?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julian.forest.912569?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thejulianforest?feature=shared
- Other: https://youtu.be/JYMBqM4cRGU?feature=shared
