The Naked and Famous are often compared to other new new-wave pop bands such as MGMT and M83. Keyboardist Alisa Xayalith says, “Whenever an Uber driver asks me, I say we make alternative pop music.”
May 27 | 8 p.m. | $32-$95
Montbleu Resort Casino | Stateline, Nev.
The bandmates met at music school on the north island of New Zealand 10 years ago and rapidly topped Kiwi pop charts before moving to Los Angeles in 2012.
“We were writing and recording songs in the studio provided by the music school and various bedrooms and basements,” says lead singer Xayalith. “We had a very D.I.Y. approach to everything. Thom and I bonded over bands like Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. He thought it’d be funny to name our band The Naked and Famous after a lyric from Tricky’s ‘Tricky Kid.’ It stuck and here we are 10 years later.”
Xayalith grew up in a non-English-speaking immigrant household in Auckland surrounded by traditional Laotian folk music.
“Creating music is my catharsis. It is my chosen medium where I can best express myself and feel inspired.”
-Alisa Xayalith
“My dad loves to sing and always had his friends come over with their instruments,” says Xayalith. “I’d fall asleep listening to them singing and playing into the late hours of the evening. Singing was always encouraged in my house and was something that brought a lot of joy, so I chased after it. I think growing up with a father who loved to sing was a big influence on me at a tender age.”
Even if you don’t realize it, you’d probably recognize the glassy echo of the synth intro to the band’s 2010 hit song “Young Blood.”
“It all came about by feeling inspired by the sound of the main line you hear at the very beginning of the song,” says Xayalith. “It instantly brought out feelings of this universal romantic nostalgia and the lyrics were a response to that.”
A penchant for penning undeniably catchy pop songs like this one motivated the band to fly to Auckland for a worldwide music career, but for Xayalith the song is also a reminder to stay true to her creative instincts.
“It was the very first time I had sung in that vocal register,” she says. “I felt so uncomfortable and thought I sounded silly, but Thom encouraged me to keep singing this way when we were writing the song. That was my first real lesson on being brave vocally. I always remember that I should never be afraid to experiment in the creative process and if I’m scared of doing something it usually means I should go for it because the reward is much greater than not attempting something in the first place. I owe a lot to this song as it has afforded us an opportunity to keep making music.”
So at least for now the secret to writing the perfect pop song remains a mystery.
“This is something I wish I knew the answer to,” says Xayalith. “When I’m creating I’m not consciously setting myself rules where I have to write catchy pop hooks all day. That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”
Rather, making music is all about personally creative response and reflection.
“Creating music is my catharsis,” says Xayalith. “It is my chosen medium where I can best express myself and feel inspired. Most of what I create is a response to something I’ve been listening to or whatever is happening in my life. When I write a song, it is a visceral and emotional response to whatever is on my mind at that time or what is inspiring me.”
The Naked and Famous released “Simple Forms” in October 2016 and have since been on and off tour in its support.
“Being on the road has a certain charm to it and I love performing,” says Xayalith. “We’re on tour with Blink 182 right now and its been a dream come true for the teenager in all of us since we all grew up listening to Blink 182. Their audiences have been very warm and welcoming to us.”
So far, at least in terms of the big picture, nothing much has changed from the beginning.
“The goal has always remained the same,” says Xayalith. “Keep writing and releasing music for as long as possible.”
To purchase tickets, visit montbleuresort.com.
