Alisa Xayalith | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | New Zealand [1] | 24 August 1986
Origin | Auckland, New Zealand [2] [1] |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 2007–present [2] |
Labels | Somewhat Damaged [9] |
Member of | The Naked and Famous |
Alisa Xayalith (born 24 August 1986) is a New Zealand musician best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and keyboard player [1] for the indie electronic [3] band the Naked and Famous. [10]
Xayalith, the daughter of Laotian refugees, was born in New Zealand and grew up in South Auckland. She has one sister and three brothers. [11] [12] [13] Shortly after Xayalith's seventh birthday, her mother died [11] from breast cancer. [14] [15] [16] [2] Her father was a vocalist in a local Laotian ensemble. [16]
In 2006, Xayalith met Thom Powers and Aaron Short at the Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand. [17] [9] They formed the band the Naked and Famous, and Powers and Xayalith began dating. [18] In 2012, the quintet moved to Los Angeles, California. [19] In 2014, Powers and Xayalith ended their romantic relationship but remained part of the band. [18]
The Naked and Famous parted ways with Short and Jesse Wood in 2018, [20] followed by their split with Luna Shadows and David Beadle some time prior to March 2020. [21] As of December 2021, the ensemble continues to perform as a duo composed of Powers and Xayalith. [10]
In December 2021, Xayalith published a song entitled "High Fidelity", the first tune from her upcoming EP, Superpowers, which was released in 2022. The track was produced [10] by Tyler Spry[ failed verification ] and Simon Oscroft, [10] with a music video directed by Jason Lester. [22]
Alex Gallagher of NME Networks described "High Fidelity" as "a lush, spacious pop cut that foregrounds the singer's syrupy vocals with shimmering synths and a soaring, effervescent chorus". [10] Referencing the song, Dan Shaw of We Are Happy Media stated that "With shimmering retro synths and powerhouse vocals front and centre, it blooms with romantic colours", going on to say that the "accompanying video mirrors the lyrical reveries of Xayalith, making a star of the Californian landscape". [23]
"I'll Make Love to You" is a song by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Motown label. Written by Babyface, it was released in July 1994 as the lead single from their second album, II (1994). The song was a commercial success, spending 14 weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100. It was also the third best performing song in the 1990s on Billboard, as well as ranking on Billboard Greatest of All-Time chart. "I'll Make Love to You" won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and was nominated for Record of the Year. Its accompanying music video was directed by Lionel C. Martin.
Kids of 88 were a New Zealand new wave duo based in Auckland, New Zealand, consisting of Jordan Arts and Sam McCarthy. They are best known for their 2009 single, "My House". They have since signed through Dryden Street to Sony Music and released the album Sugarpills in August 2010. In 2014, the duo stated that 'the [Kids of 88] project has concluded.'
The Naked and Famous are a New Zealand indie electronic band from Auckland, formed in 2007. The band currently consists of Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers.
Passive Me, Aggressive You is the debut studio album by New Zealand indie electronic band the Naked and Famous, released on 6 September 2010 by Somewhat Damaged. The album debuted at number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart. The album spawned four singles: "All of This", "Young Blood", "Punching in a Dream" and "Girls Like You"; with "Young Blood" peaking at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
Episode 001: Chasing Hayley is the debut EP by New Zealand hip-hop band, Kidz in Space. It was released by Universal Music Group New Zealand on 31 August 2009.
Kidz Bop is an American children's music group that produces family-friendly covers of pop songs and related media. Kidz Bop releases compilation albums that feature children covering songs that chart high on the Billboard Hot 100 and/or receive heavy airplay from contemporary hit radio stations several months ahead of each album's release. Their cover versions sometimes contain lyrics with substitutes for the lyrics' original profanity; however, critics have commented that this does not necessarily remove the "adult" themes from the music.
One Temporary Escape is a live video album from New Zealand post-punk revival band The Naked and Famous, recorded on 21 April 2012 at The Warfield in San Francisco, California. It was directed by Jordan Blady, produced by Aaron Short, Jordan Blady and Thom Powers, and executive produced by The Naked and Famous. The video was released on 18 March 2013 as a free download, to thank fans for their support.
The 2010 APRA Silver Scroll Awards were held on Wednesday 8 September 2010 at the Auckland Town Hall, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting. The Silver Scroll Award was presented to Alisa Xayalith, Thom Powers and Aaron Short of The Naked and Famous for their song “Young Blood”, and classic rock group The Fourmyula were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. The evening also included a tribute to Pauly Fuemana of OMC, who had died in January 2010.
In Rolling Waves is the second studio album by New Zealand indie electronic band The Naked and Famous. It was released on 13 September 2013 by Fiction Records and Island Records. On 23 July 2013, the album's lead single, "Hearts Like Ours", premiered on BBC Radio 1. The music video premiered on 29 July 2013.
New Zealand indie electronic band The Naked and Famous have released four studio albums, two compilation albums, three extended plays, 18 singles, seven promotional singles, 2 video albums and 16 music videos.
"A Stillness" is a song by New Zealand post-punk revival band The Naked and Famous, from their second studio album In Rolling Waves. The song was released for streaming on August 28, 2013.
Peking Duk is an electronic music group made up of disc jockeys and music producers Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles. The pair first garnered attention in 2012 with the release of a Passion Pit bootleg remix. Their biggest hit "High" reached 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart, achieved a triple platinum certification and won the ARIA Award for Best Dance Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 2014. Notable festivals Peking Duk have performed include Falls Festival, Spilt Milk, Splendour in the Grass and Big Day Out.
"I Kill Giants" is a promotional single from In Rolling Waves, the second studio album from The Naked and Famous.
Simple Forms is the third studio album by New Zealand indie electronic band The Naked and Famous. It was released on 14 October 2016 by Somewhat Damaged in partnership with Kobalt Label Services. "Higher" was released as the album's lead single on 8 July 2016.
"Higher" is a song by New Zealand indie electronic band The Naked and Famous from their third studio album, Simple Forms. It was released on 8 July 2016 as the album's lead single.
Jeff Hartford, better known by his stage name Attlas, is a Canadian DJ, electronic music producer and musician. Hartford is known for his progressive house and electronica releases on the electronic label mau5trap and has often appeared the label's We are Friends album series. He has released three albums, five extended plays, and several other singles and has received two Juno Award nominations over the course of his career. He is also half of the group Sun Lo with Richard Walters.
A Still Heart is the second compilation album from New Zealand electronic music band The Naked and Famous. The album was released on 2 March 2018 in Australia and New Zealand, and 9 March in the United States. It features acoustic performances of several of the songs from previous studio albums.
Drax Project is a New Zealand pop and R&B band that formed in Te Aro, Wellington in 2014. Recording a mix of jazz, R&B and pop music, the band came to prominence in 2017 with the single "Woke Up Late", which was certified triple platinum by RIANZ while the 2019 version featuring Hailee Steinfeld was certified triple platinum in Australia.
Recover is the fourth studio album by New Zealand indie electronic band The Naked and Famous, released on 24 July 2020 by Somewhat Damaged and AWAL.
Rob Ruha, is a New Zealand musician from Wharekahika, Gisborne District. He debuted as a solo musician in 2013, and is known for his singles sung in te Reo Māori, including "Kalega" (2017), "Ka Mānu" (2019), "35" with Ka Hao (2021), and "Taera" (2021). Ruha worked as the music director for the Māori language version of the Walt Disney Pictures films Moana and The Lion King.