Bahari are back with new original music and we can’t get enough of it!
The alt-pop duo, comprised of Ruby Carr and Natalia Panzarella, just released their new single “Waking Up The Neighbors” on Friday (July 31), which can be described as a hypnotic duet that has edgy vocals, tip-toeing strings and overpowering bass.
“Waking up the neighbors is an ode to the feeling of paranoia, the feeling of chaos in your mind when you realize that things are not as they seem,” says the duo in a statement. “This song stems from anxiety and we wanted to showcase the feelings we go through when having those emotions, by bringing in sonic elements that have drastic differences, like the silence, the dramatic drops, the screaming and then the soft harmonies.”
In the music video, which you can watch below, the girls go for a covert midnight swim in a neighbor’s pool only to end up around a table choreographed in synch with an out of this world ritual.
“Waking Up The Neighbors” is the follow up to their remix of their viral 2018 hit “Savage” that features a new verse from rapper BIA. It’s also the first taste to the duo’s new body of work which is expected to drop later this year.
“We’ve been working on this project new for quite awhile. Everything was supposed to come out before but we were on tour when COVID happened and then we had to cancel the tour and push everything back,” Ruby tells Celeb Secrets over Zoom. “We’re just really ready to put this body of music out. It’s something really honest from our hearts so we’re really looking forward to sharing it with everyone.”
Bahari blossom from a similar confluence of circumstances. Singer and keyboardist Ruby Carr hails from the tiny island of Lamu off the coast of Kenya, while singer and bassist Natalia Panzarella was born in Nashville but grew up in Southern California.
After meeting at a songwriting session at 16-years-old, the girls formed a lifelong bond. Shortly after, Bahari initially made waves with “Wild Ones,” which generated 38.1 million Spotify streams.
“We definitely have a sisterly relationship. We spend so much time together — we live, tour and work together so we definitely have that sister thing going on,” Ruby says.
They maintained a consistent pace with the Dancing on the Sun EP [2016] and singles “Get Together” and “F**ked Up.” Along the way, they supported Selena Gomez and Birdy on tour and teamed up with Zedd, ILLENIUM and Grey for collaborations. After quietly grinding, Bahari earned a viral hit with 2018’s “Savage.” Not only did the song generate over 100 million total streams, but it also went Gold. Signing to Epic Records, the pair are gearing up for their 2020 full-length debut and much more to come.
“We can’t wait to tour again,” Natalia says. “We’ve been playing a lot of the songs before COVID that are coming out really soon so to have those be released is really exciting, too.”
“We just want to get back on the road,” Ruby adds. “We miss all of our fans, interacting with people and it’s definitely a highlight of our careers being able to play all of our music.”
You can learn more about Bahari’s music by watching our full interview below and keep up with Ruby and Natalia by following them on Instagram at @bahari.
