Bailen
A sibling trio from New York, BAILEN blend folk-rock and more streamlined pop influences with strong three-part vocal harmonies. Their first album, 2019's Thrilled to Be Here, reached the Top 20 of Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. The more heavily produced follow-up, 2023's Tired Hearts, still balanced harmony-rich folk and sleeker pop stylings.
Raised by two classical musicians (their mom plays flute and their dad plays cello), fraternal twins Daniel and David Bailen and younger sister Julia grew up with an eclectic record collection that included singer/songwriter-era icons such as Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King. Daniel and David both took up the violin at age four, with David switching to drums at seven. Julia began learning Appalachian-style fingerpicking on the guitar from her dad when she was seven. Eventually, Daniel left the violin behind for guitar before concentrating on bass guitar. The twins started playing in bands together as preteens, later forming the duo the Bailen Brothers as teens. They soon decided a third member was needed for the types of songs and harmonies they were writing. Julia was already writing her own songs, a skill she continued to develop as an English lit major at Barnard College. The three of them played their first show together as BAILEN in 2013.
In late 2014, Daniel moved to London to star in What’s It All About? Bacharach Reimagined on the West End. His sister and brother soon joined him in the city, and BAILEN played over 30 shows in a span of two months, despite Daniel performing eight shows a week in the jukebox musical. When all three of them returned to New York City in 2015, they took up a residency at Rockwood Music Hall and started playing shows full time. In 2017, they opened for the Lone Bellow and toured in support of Joseph, later joining Amos Lee on tour in 2018. BAILEN made their national TV debut on CBS This Morning in March 2019. Their full-length debut, Thrilled to Be Here, was produced by Grammy winner John Congleton (the Decemberists, St. Vincent) and arrived on Fantasy Records that April. Single "I Was Wrong" reached the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay Top 20, and the album went as high as number 17 on the Heatseekers chart.
When the trio eventually headed back to the studio with a new batch of songs, it was with another Grammy nominee, producer Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Kevin Morby), who helped sharpen their pop attack while honoring still-conspicuous folk inspirations. Featuring more-stylized production compared to their debut's mostly live-in-the-studio approach, Tired Hearts appeared on Fantasy Records in May of 2023.
© Marcy Donelson /TiVo
Discography
19 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Thrilled To Be Here
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Apr 26, 2019
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
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Tired Hearts (Deluxe Edition)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Feb 6, 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BAILEN Mixtape Vol. 1
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Oct 25, 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love You Blind (Windowsill Version)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Sep 22, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
These Bones
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Jan 24, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
we did a Christmas thing
Christmas Music - Released by Fantasy on Nov 15, 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
When The Party's Over
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Sep 27, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Thrilled To Be Here
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Apr 26, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tired Hearts
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on May 5, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
25 For The Last Time
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Sep 13, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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we did a Christmas thing
Christmas Music - Released by Fantasy on Nov 15, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BAILEN Mixtape Vol. 1
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Oct 25, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tired Hearts (Deluxe Edition)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Feb 6, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love You Blind (Windowsill Version)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Sep 22, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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BRCA (One Take)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fantasy on Oct 25, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo