Leona Naess

Naess made her name in the early ‘00s on warm, radiant, lyrically-driven indie rock, earning a wide range of rave reviews. Vanity Fair’s Lisa Robinson called her debut “gorgeous,” while Billboard lauded her “sweetly melancholic” and “angel-evoking” sound. In those years, Naess was living in the historic Chelsea Hotel, befitting her prominent role in the New York music scene and international cult following. “Being in New York at that time was wild, putting out three records in quick succession between 2000 and 2003,” she says. “I lived through those years that everyone seems to be so nostalgic for. They were incredible and there was inspiration everywhere, but I also found it extremely destructive and chaotic—and I’m happy I got out in one piece.” 
 However, Naess’ diverse musical past also includes time studying music composition and even singing onstage as a child with her then-stepmother, the legendary Diana Ross. Now on the lead single for Brood X, “Name Across The Sky”, Naess draws together the full spectrum of that history in a newly emergent synthpop sound that highlights her undeniable emotional vitality. “Days keep moving/ Chasing ruin/ Please don’t let this pass us by,” Naess sings in a lithe falsetto, attempting to recapture a relationship perpetually fading out of her reach. But rather than wallow, the song leaves equal room to punch the sky, to vent frustration, to express love and bitterness simultaneously.