April 11, 2025: Today, rising pop star Julia Minichiello shares her new single “placeholder” via River House Artists. Co-written with Jess Cayne (Darius Rucker, Brittney Spencer) and Brock Westover (Flyanaboss, Jay Sean, JORDY), the emotional track showcases Minichiello’s soaring vocals as she reflects on a doomed relationship with a partner who is still in love with their ex. “placeholder” follows her previous single “you were just drunk,” released earlier this year, which earned acclaim from CMT and landed on playlists such as Fresh Finds Pop and Next Gen Singer-Songwriters.
Watch “placeholder” Music Video
“The writing process of this song was honestly seamless,” explains Minichiello. “I told my co-writers what was going on in my life, and we wrote it top-down from such a real place. They had stories of when they related to it, and we naturally reached a hook that we all loved. We were inspired by Julia Michaels’ lyrical style and cadence and by Benson Boone’s ability to sneak a tempo change into a pop song.”
She continues, “I wrote ‘placeholder’ with Jess Cayne and Brock Westover, who are some of my favorite people to write with. They both create the safest space to tell your story. Jess comes up with amazing lyrics that literally nobody else could possibly think of, and Brock has insane melodies and is so good at helping me go outside the box production-wise. This song starts off slower with just guitar and vocals, and then by the chorus it has a lot more pop energy.”
Minichiello burst onto the music scene late last year with her rousing debut single “always know the exits,” with MusicRow exclaiming, “the tune combines clever lyricism with irresistible pop melodies. The song connects to anyone who has ever gone through the complexities of love, showcasing the tension between the want to connect and the need to protect oneself.”
At 23, Julia Minichiello is quickly becoming one of Nashville’s most compelling new voices. Hailing from Canton, Massachusetts, she burst onto the scene when she won the #Sing2gether TikTok contest with a stunning performance of Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire,” which landed her at the Sing 2 premiere alongside stars like Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey. Soon after, she was invited to perform on the The Kelly Clarkson Show, solidifying her as an artist to watch. Julia’s commanding vocals and genre-blurring sound—part Gracie Abrams, part Noah Kahan—have also captivated many on social media, where she continues to grow her 340,000+ followers across TikTok and Instagram. With a wealth of new music in the pipeline, Julia plans to continue releasing deeply personal, genre-defying songs that are sure to resonate with listeners and make 2025 her breakout year.
