About
The Signs · Umbriel · James Halloran
About The Signs
The Signs unfolds as a modern mythology, the story of a being born of celestial light who falls into human reality, carrying fragments of what was lost. The Fall is not destruction but transformation, the passage from the eternal into the fragile, from transcendence into feeling.
As this being descends, pieces of memory, image and emotion scatter like debris from another world. These fragments become the Signs, the small ordinary objects through which meaning survives: a dull blade, charred feathers, a holy chalice, a masked face. Each carries the emotional charge of a lived moment.
This mythology becomes a metaphor for queerness, grief and the process of becoming truly human. It reflects how the things that break us often awaken us to truth, connection and selfhood. Through music, image and performance, The Signs becomes a dream opera of the unconscious, a cycle of disintegration and transcendence that suggests to fall is to become real.
The visual world draws on sacred art, alchemical symbolism and surrealist fashion: molten gold, fractured glass, angelic remnants, holy doves and queer bodies illuminated in chiaroscuro light.
About ÚMBRIEL
ÚMBRIEL is the queer art-pop persona of James Halloran. Crafting immersive music that lives in the space between the sacred and the surreal. Using industrial textures, cinematic electronics and emotive, theatrical vocals, they create sonic worlds shaped by desire, rupture and transformation.
Through performance and visual storytelling, ÚMBRIEL explores identity, grief and becoming. Each work forms part of a larger constellation, a personal mythology expressed through symbolic objects, charged moments and dreamlike realms.
Their universe is built from relics and emotional fragments, inviting listeners into a landscape where the beautiful and the broken coexist.
Both in the studio and on stage, ÚMBRIEL offers an art-pop experience that is visionary, intimate and atmospheric. Their world invites audiences to step into something deeper, where vulnerability becomes power and music becomes myth.
About James Halloran
James Halloran is a multifaceted musician, performer, and educator whose work defies genre, blending theatricality, emotional depth, and technical mastery. With a career spanning over 14 years, he has established himself as a dynamic and versatile artist, crafting performances and compositions that are as unsettling as they are captivating.
As the creative force behind ÚMBRIEL, an electronic art-pop quartet based in Brisbane, James pushes the boundaries of sound and storytelling.
Once described as “Enya on steroids,” ÚMBRIEL fuses orchestral grandeur, industrial grit, and emotional intensity into an otherworldly experience where string quartets clash with synthesizers, all anchored by his incandescent voice. With influences spanning New Order, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, and Björk, ÚMBRIEL’s bold aesthetic and visceral performances culminated in headlining the QLD Cabaret Festival, cementing the act as a defining voice in Australia’s avant-pop landscape.
Beyond performance, James is a dedicated educator and vocal coach.
With a Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy from the Queensland Conservatorium and training in Music Therapy, he brings a research-driven, holistic approach to teaching. His innovative vocal programs, grounded in cutting-edge voice science, have enabled students to achieve remarkable outcomes—including wins in Queensland’s Battle of the Rock Bands competition.
James Halloran thrives in liminal spaces—between genres, identities, and emotional states. His artistry is a testament to catharsis, blending technique with intuition to create work that is vivid, transformative, and unflinchingly honest. Whether on stage, in the studio, or in the classroom, he continues to push artistic boundaries, inspiring audiences and students alike with his fearless creativity.
More about James
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James’s journey as a solo artist began with the release of HIM (2016), a haunting exploration of existentialism that merged intricate orchestration with wild lyricism. His theatrical work is equally compelling—his one-man show Lush Life (2018) reimagined the works of queer jazz composers, celebrating desire, identity, and reinvention through a contemporary lens.
A seasoned performer with ZEN ZEN ZO physical theatre company, James brings a commanding stage presence informed by Weimar Cabaret, late-20th-century glam, and the avant-garde. His performance history includes working alongside Taylor Mac in 24 Decades of Popular Music, debuting ÚMBRIEL’s Desire on Bob The Drag Queen’s YouTube channel, and a special live collaboration with Barnev Valsaint, Celine Dion’s longtime backing vocalist.
James also co-created and musically directed Sex & Other Philosophies with disability and LGBTQIA+ artist Karen Lee Roberts and collaborator Lucinda Shaw—an absurdist cabaret exploring identity, the search for meaning, and the strange humour that arises from everyday contradictions. Through original music, sharp character work, and philosophical playfulness, the production reflected James’s fascination with performance works that balance depth, wit, and emotional intensity.
His contributions to the Queensland music scene continue through collaborations with Silver Sircus and Ghostwoods, further establishing him as a sought-after creative partner across genres.
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