“We work really hard. We play live a lot. Most of our fans have experienced the band in person; it’s not because they clicked on a link. And that’s how we like it.” – David Bailen, member of the band “Bailen”
Bailen is a band from New York composed of three siblings, fraternal twins David and Daniel and their younger sister, Julia Bailen. The three were raised by classically trained musicians and have been making music since childhood. Roaming through their parents’ stacks of records each child found himself or herself attracted to different styles of music. Their present sound combines their distinct musical tastes, giving the music of Bailen a satisfying complexity.
The siblings began performing together live in 2014 in London, during David’s run at London’s West End. They played 30+ shows, pulling together a tight show set. By the time they returned to New York they were ready to begin their residency at Rockwood Music Hall.
They released their first album in 2019, “Thrilled to Be Here,” after a struggle to find the right producer.
“Choosing people to work with is a difficult task because we’re family, so you need somebody who can fit into a dynamic that’s existed for 20-some odd years,” says Daniel. “We’re all really different people and have very strong opinions. It’s an interesting dance.” They eventually chose Grammy-award winning producer John Congleton (St.Vincent, War on Drugs) who helped bring the group’s vision to life.
“We think micro, and John was really good at thinking macro for the record,” Julia observes. “First records are special because you’ve spent your whole life writing them. Recording our album in a month at the same studio with one producer meant that we kept the creativity, but also found the cohesiveness.”
Scenes Live Sessions hosted Bailen in March 2020 and loved every second of it! Check out their beautiful harmonies and entrancing melodies in the video below, and download the session here!
