Liverpool is a famous city, home to a great number of architectural landmarks. Our city is also renowned as the place where the band “The Beatles” began their career. The band members brought worldwide fame to Liverpool, and there is even a museum here dedicated to them. John Lennon was the famous musician and leader of the group. However, today we are not talking about him, but about his son, Julian, who also followed in his father’s footsteps. Read more about this on the iliverpool.info website.
Julian’s Youth and Relationship with His Father
Julian was born in Liverpool in 1963. His father was the famous leader of The Beatles, John Lennon, and his mother was Cynthia Powell. The boy was named in honour of his late paternal grandmother, Julia Lennon, who had died five years before his birth.
Julian was educated at Ruthin School, an independent boarding school in Wales.
When the boy was five years old, his parents divorced due to John’s relationship with Yoko Ono. For a long time, Julian had no contact with his father. However, in the early 1970s, as he became interested in music, he began to spend more time with John.
As for the relationship between father and son, it was far from ideal. Julian was irritated when he heard his father preach about peace and love to the world. According to him, John Lennon spoke eloquently about love to strangers but failed to show that same feeling to his own family.
After John Lennon’s death, Julian discovered that he had been written out of the will. However, a trust of £100,000 was established to be shared between Julian and his half-brother, Sean. Our Liverpool native took legal action against his father’s estate, and in 1996, a settlement agreement for a reported £20 million was reached. This settlement was approved by Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono.
Career Development
Julian’s music career began when he was 11 years old, playing drums on his father’s song “Ya-Ya”.
In 1984, the Liverpool native released his debut album, “Valotte”. A year later, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
In 1986, Julian released his second music album, “The Secret Value of Daydreaming”. The following year, he tried his hand at acting, playing The Baker in Mike Batt’s musical “The Hunting of the Snark”.
In the 1990s, Julian took a break from his music career to focus on philanthropy.
In 1998, he released the album “Photograph Smile”, but it did not achieve major commercial success.
In 2012, another of Lennon’s albums, “Everything Changes”, was released. His comeback album, “Jude”, was released in 2022.
Lennon has also been involved in various film projects. His first appearance was in 1985, when his first tour was documented as part of the film “Stand By Me: A Portrait Of Julian Lennon”. The artist has also featured in films such as “The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus”, “Imagine: John Lennon”, and “Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll”. He has also done voice-over work and was a producer on the documentary “Whale Dreamers”. In 2018, he worked on the documentary “Women of the White Buffalo”.
Photography, Philanthropy, and Personal Life
Undoubtedly, Julian is a creative individual whose interests extend beyond music and acting. In 2007, he began to explore photography, and in 2010, he opened an exhibition titled “Timeless: The Photography of Julian Lennon”. Two years later, Julian’s “Alone” collection was presented at the Art Basel Miami Beach exhibition.
In 2015, his “Horizons” series of photographs was displayed at the Emmanuel Fremin Gallery in New York. A year later, his exhibition titled “Cycle” was held in Los Angeles.
In 2021, he was the first fine-art photographer to be featured in the new Aston Martin Residences Miami gallery.
Philanthropy plays a huge role in Lennon’s life. In 2007, he founded The White Feather Foundation. He also collaborates with many charitable organisations around the world, raising funds for various projects aimed at helping disadvantaged communities.
In 2014, our local man visited Kenya, Ethiopia, and Colombia to see educational and environmental initiatives firsthand. After his mother’s death, Julian established The White Feather Foundation’s “The Cynthia Lennon Scholarship for Girls” in Kenya.
It should be noted that he responded to the war in Ukraine in 2022. To support Ukraine and its people, he broke a long-held promise never to perform his father’s most famous solo song, “Imagine”. In April 2022, Julian sang it as part of a fundraising flash mob.
As for his personal life, Julian Lennon has never been married and has no children. However, he is said to be on good terms with Yoko Ono and has a warm relationship with his half-brother, Sean.
It is also worth mentioning that Lennon is good friends with the famous musician Paul McCartney.
Julian Lennon is a multi-faceted, creative individual who has found expression in music, film, and photography. He is a well-known philanthropist who helps the disadvantaged and those in need. We hope you found this article informative and learned more about this famous man from our city.
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