The Naked And Famous

The Naked and Famous

The Naked and Famous are an indie rock group from Auckland, New Zealand, active since 2007. The line-up includes Jesse Wood, Thom Powers, Aaron Short and Alisa Xayalith. The band is associated with indie rock and related electronic and indie pop styles, and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Formation and name

The group forms in Auckland and takes its name from a line in Tricky’s track Tricky Kid. It begins in 2007 and later works with a changing line-up that includes Thomas Powers, Alisa Xayalith, Aaron Short, David Beadle and Jesse Wood, with Powers and Xayalith as the core active members in the biography.

Albums and chart success

The band’s debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, comes out on the Somewhat Damaged label in 2010. Its single Young Blood reaches number one in New Zealand, making the band the first New Zealand artist to do so in three years. Their second album, In Rolling Waves, reaches the top five in New Zealand and the top 15 in Australia and on the US Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart. Simple Forms is the first release by Xayalith and Powers as a two-piece, and Recover follows in 2020, peaking at 19 on the New Zealand Artist Albums chart.

Recognition

In 2010, the BBC includes The Naked and Famous in its Sound of 2011 poll nominations.