Julian Lennon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julian Lennon
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Lennon in 2018
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John Charles Julian Lennon
8 April 1963 Liverpool, England
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| Years active | 1974–present |
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| Relatives | Sean Lennon (half-brother) |
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Julian Charles John Lennon (born 8 April 1963) is an English musician, photographer, author, and helper of others (philanthropist). He is the son of Beatles member John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia. He was named after his grandmother, Julia Lennon.
Julian inspired three famous Beatles songs: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (1967), "Hey Jude" (1968), and "Good Night" (1968). His parents separated in 1968.
Lennon began his music career in 1984 with the album Valotte. He has released several more albums since then. He also shows his amazing fine-art photos in exhibitions and has written many children's books. In 2006, Lennon helped make the environmental film Whaledreamers, which won many awards. In 2007, he started The White Feather Foundation (TWFF). This group works to help with "environmental and humanitarian issues" around the world.
In recent years, Lennon has been an executive producer for documentaries. These include Kiss the Ground (2020) about regenerative agriculture and Women of the White Buffalo (2022) about Lakota women on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Contents
Early Life
Julian Lennon was born John Charles Julian Lennon on 8 April 1963. He was born in Liverpool, England. His parents were John Lennon and Cynthia Powell. He was named after his grandmother, Julia Lennon, who had passed away five years before he was born. The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, was Julian's godfather. Julian went to Ruthin School, a private boarding school in North Wales.
Julian inspired one of his father's most famous songs, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The song's words describe a picture Julian had drawn. It was a watercolour painting of his friend, Lucy O'Donnell, from nursery school. She was surrounded by stars in the drawing. Another song his father wrote for him was the lullaby "Good Night". This song was the last one on The Beatles album, also known as The White Album. In 1967, when he was four, Julian visited the set of the Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour.
After his parents separated, Julian's father, John Lennon, married Yoko Ono in 1969. Julian later had a younger half-brother named Sean Lennon.
Paul McCartney wrote the song "Hey Jude" to comfort Julian during his parents' separation. It was first called "Hey Jules". McCartney changed the name because he thought "Jude" was easier to sing. After his parents' divorce, Julian did not see his father much. But in the early 1970s, at the request of his father's girlfriend, May Pang, he started visiting his father regularly. John Lennon bought Julian a Gibson Les Paul guitar and a drum machine for Christmas in 1973. He also showed Julian some chords to encourage his interest in music.
Relationship with His Father
After his father, John Lennon, passed away in 1980, Julian felt a lot of mixed emotions. He later shared that he had some difficult feelings about his father. He remembered that Paul McCartney and he spent more time together than he did with his own father. Julian said, "We had a great friendship going."
Julian also talked about his father's message of 'peace and love'. He felt that his mother, Cynthia, showed more love in her actions than his father did. Julian said, "Mum was more about love than Dad. He sang about it, he spoke about, but he never really gave it, at least not to me as his son." He also mentioned that when he feels aggressive, he tries to calm himself down and be more positive.
Julian recalled his renewed contact with his father in the mid-1970s. He said in 2009, "Dad and I got on a great deal better then. We had a lot of fun, laughed a lot and had a great time in general when he was with May Pang. My memories of that time with Dad and May are very clear—they were the happiest time I can remember with him."
Julian was not included in his father's will directly. However, a special fund of £100,000 was set up for Julian and his half-brother, Sean. Julian later reached an agreement with his father's estate in 1996. This agreement was approved by Yoko Ono.
In 2009, Julian shared that he realized holding onto anger and bitterness towards his father would make him unhappy. He said, "After recording the song 'Lucy,' almost by nature, it felt right to fulfill the circle, forgive Dad, put the pain, anger and bitterness in the past, and focus and appreciate the good things." He added that writing music helps him heal and that he now feels able to "embrace Dad and the Beatles."
Career
Music Journey
Julian Lennon was inspired by many artists, including David Bowie and Steely Dan.
He first played music at age 11 on his father's album Walls and Bridges. He played drums on the song "Ya-Ya". He later joked, "Dad, had I known you were going to put it on the album, I would've played much better!" The album notes even say Julian Lennon was "starring on drums."
Julian had instant success with his first album, Valotte, released in 1984. It had two top 10 hit songs: the title track and "Too Late for Goodbyes". He was even nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1985.
His second album, The Secret Value of Daydreaming (1986), reached number 32 on the Billboard 200 chart. It included the song "Stick Around", which was his first number-one hit on the US Album Rock Tracks chart.
In 1987, Julian Lennon performed in a musical called The Hunting of the Snark. Later that year, he performed with Chuck Berry. In 1989, his song "Now You're in Heaven" became a number 1 hit on the Album Rock Tracks chart in the US and reached number 5 in Australia.
In 1991, George Harrison shared some ideas for Julian's album Help Yourself. The song "Saltwater" from this album reached number 6 in the UK and was number one in Australia for four weeks. Julian also covered the Rolling Stones' song "Ruby Tuesday" for the TV show The Wonder Years.
Julian took a break from music in the 1990s. He wanted to focus on helping others after meeting Indigenous people in Australia. There were rumors that he might perform with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. But the surviving Beatles said in 1995 that they never planned for Julian to replace his father.
In 1998, Julian released Photograph Smile on his own record label. Critics praised it as "well-crafted and melodic." In 2002, he recorded a version of "When I'm Sixty-Four" by The Beatles for a commercial.
In 2009, Julian released a song and EP called "Lucy". It honored Lucy Vodden, the girl who inspired "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Half of the money from the song went to help with Lupus research.
In October 2011, Julian released the album Everything Changes. He also made a documentary about the making of the album called Through the Picture Window.
On September 9, 2022, Julian's album Jude was released. It included the songs "Freedom" and "Every Little Moment." The album's title refers to the Beatles song "Hey Jude". Julian said calling it Jude helped him accept who he is. The songs on the album came from over thirty years of songwriting.
In August 2024, Julian released a new version of his song "I Should Have Known."
Film Work
Julian's first music tour in 1985 was part of a film called Stand by Me: A Portrait of Julian Lennon. He has also appeared in other films, including The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (released in 1996) and Imagine: John Lennon (1988). He had a small role as a bartender in Leaving Las Vegas (1995). Julian also lent his voice to characters in animated films, like David Copperfield (1993) and Toby the Teapot in The Real Story of I'm a Little Teapot (1990).
Julian also produced the documentary Whaledreamers. This film is about an Indigenous Australian tribe and their special connection with whales. It also talks about many environmental issues. The film won several awards and was shown at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2018, Julian was an executive producer for Women of the White Buffalo. This documentary, released in 2022, focuses on Lakota women from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It shows how they work to keep their way of life alive.
In 2020, Julian was also an executive producer for Kiss the Ground. This award-winning documentary is about regenerative agriculture and is narrated by Woody Harrelson.
Photography
Julian became very interested in photography after taking pictures during his half-brother Sean's music tour in 2007.
On September 17, 2010, Julian opened an exhibition of his photos called "Timeless: The Photography of Julian Lennon." It featured 35 photographs, including shots of his brother Sean and U2's lead singer, Bono.
His "Alone" collection was shown at the Art Basel Miami Beach Show in 2012. The money raised went to The White Feather Foundation.
Julian's "Horizon" series was shown at the Emmanuel Fremin Gallery in New York City in 2015. His "Cycle" exhibit was featured at the Leica Gallery in Los Angeles in 2016.
Julian often shares his photos on the social media app Instagram. In 2021, he became the first fine-arts photographer to be featured at the new gallery in Aston Martin Residences Miami. In 2023, he showed more photos in an exhibition called ATMOSPHERIA in Santa Monica, California.
Books
After his father passed away, Julian started collecting Beatles items. In 2010, he published a book about his collection called Beatles Memorabilia: The Julian Lennon Collection.
From 2017 to 2019, Julian wrote a New York Times Bestselling trilogy of children's books: Touch the Earth, Heal the Earth, and Love the Earth.
In 2021, Julian published a graphic novel for middle-grade children called The Morning Tribe. He wrote it with co-author Bart Davis.
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
Julian once had a special conversation with his father. His father told him that if he ever passed away, a message that he was okay would come to Julian as a white feather. Julian said, "the white feather has always represented peace to me." Later, while on tour in Australia, Julian received a white feather from two Indigenous elders of the Mirning tribe. They asked him to help share their voices.
In response, Julian made the documentary Whaledreamers about their tribe. In 2007, he started The White Feather Foundation (TWFF). Its goal is to "embrace environmental and humanitarian issues." The foundation works with partners worldwide to raise money to improve life for everyone and honor those who have made a difference.
TWFF works with other groups to raise money for projects in four main areas: clean water, protecting Indigenous cultures, the environment, and education and health. In 2008, Prince Albert II of Monaco gave TWFF the Better World Environmental Award.
In 2015, after the Nepal earthquake, TWFF gave over $106,000 to help the victims.
Julian visited Kenya, Ethiopia, and Colombia in 2014 to see the education and environmental projects TWFF was supporting. After his mother passed away, Julian named TWFF's scholarship program for Kenyan girls "The Cynthia Lennon Scholarship for Girls." Since then, the foundation has given over 40 scholarships to girls in Kenya. In 2021, they also started offering scholarships to art students in the U.S.
In 2019, Julian contributed his voice and music to the film "One Little Finger." This film aims to raise awareness about 'ability in disability' and how music can help people with disabilities.
In September 2020, Julian received the CC Forum Philanthropy Award in Monaco. He was also named a UNESCO Center for Peace 2020 Cross-Cultural and Peace Crafter Award Laureate.
In 2022, Julian recorded his own version of his father's 1971 song "Imagine." All the money raised from this song went to support Ukraine.
Personal Life
Home and Family
Julian Lennon lived with his parents in Weybridge, England, from 1964 to 1968. After that, he moved with his mother to different places in Britain, including The Wirral and a farm in North Wales. Julian's first stepfather, Roberto Bassanini, was Italian. His mother married him in 1970.
In the early 1980s, Julian moved to the United States, living in New York City and then Los Angeles. In 1991, he moved to Europe and mainly lived in Italy. Julian now lives in Monaco and is a friend of Prince Albert II.
Julian has a friendly relationship with Yoko Ono after a financial agreement about his father's estate. He is also close to his half-brother, Sean Lennon. Julian saw Sean perform live for the first time in Paris in 2006. They also spent time together during Sean's tour in 2007.
Julian does not have children. He shared in 2011 that his difficult relationship with his own father made him decide not to have children.
In 2020, he legally changed his name from John Charles Julian Lennon to Julian Charles John Lennon. This was to reflect the name he has always been known by.
Health Updates
In 2020, Julian had a cancerous mole removed from his head. In December 2024, he mentioned on a podcast that he was waiting for results from a recent medical check-up on his arm.
John Lennon's Legacy
To celebrate John Lennon's 70th birthday and promote peace, Julian and his mother, Cynthia, unveiled the John Lennon Peace Monument in Liverpool on October 9, 2010.
Julian remains friends with his father's former bandmate, Paul McCartney. Although they had a brief misunderstanding in 2011 when Julian was not invited to McCartney's wedding, McCartney later explained it was a mistake. McCartney even provided the handwritten "Jude" design for Julian's 2022 album. Julian also remains friends with May Pang, who took the cover photo for his Jude album. He shared his memories of her and his father in Pang's 2022 documentary The Lost Weekend: A Love Story.
Discography
- Valotte (1984)
- The Secret Value of Daydreaming (1986)
- Mr. Jordan (1989)
- Help Yourself (1991)
- Photograph Smile (1998)
- Everything Changes (2011)
- Jude (2022)
Filmography
Films
- WhaleDreamers (2008)
- Kiss the Ground (2020)
- Women of the White Buffalo (2021)
- Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
- Above Us Only Sky (2018)
- The Lost Weekend: A Love Story (2023)
Television Appearances
- Top of the Pops (1984, 1991)
- American Bandstand (1984, 1986)
- Solid Gold (TV series) (1985, 1986)
- Late Night with David Letterman (1985, 1989, 1991)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1985, 1989)
- The Arsenio Hall Show (1989)
- Today (American TV program) (1989)
- Late Show with David Letterman (1999)
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1999, 2013)
- The Howard Stern Show (1999)
- Daybreak (2011)
- Larry King Now (2013)
- Chelsea Lately (2013)
- The View (2017, 2019)
- Access Hollywood (2017)
- The Chew (2018)
- Home and Family (2018, 2019)
- American Chopper (2019)
- Ways to Change the World (2022)
Images for kids
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Julian Lennon in 2018
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Julian Lennon in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Julian Lennon para niños
