When she began her singing career at the age of 12, Julia could already sense the need to use her talent on behalf of others. Her first song, a French tune titled ‘A Maman” (To My Mother), was dedicated to all mothers on mother’s day. It proved to be the first step in a lifelong journey of dedication: her gift to others. By the age of 14, she had released her first album, titled “C’est La Vie” (This is Life), written and composed by Elias Rahbani. It was also around this time that the civil war in Lebanon broke out, playing a central role in Julia’s life and bringing into sharp focus her desire to commit herself and her singing to humanity in the Lebanese community in particular and the world in general.
Early on, unlike other artists her age, Julia dedicated her career to a cause. This burning desire to be a voice for others led directly in 1985 to her recording “Ghabet Shams Al Haq”. Composed by Julia’s brother Ziad Boutros, who composes most of her work today, the song expresses their anger at the continued killing of the innocents: children, women, men and the elderly civilians. “The only thing we were able to do at the time was to raise our voices and send a message to the world, and that was achieved by my first song” says Julia. She wanted to send a message and she did so, successfully. One week after this song was released; Julia’s voice entered every house in the Arab world. Her voice had become their voice, with millions of people singing her songs. Even schools began teaching the children the real meanings of Julia’s words. After “Ghabet Shams Al Haq”, Julia would say, “I felt that I had a responsibility and that it is to speak on behalf of my people whose voice goes unheard”. Today, Julia’s fans range from children to elderly, as she became a national symbol for Nationalism, Patriotism, Resistance and Romance.