Biography
A New York-based sibling trio, BAILEN fuse folk-rock elements with more streamlined pop sensibilities through their signature three-part vocal harmonies. Their debut full-length, Thrilled to Be Here from 2019, climbed to number 17 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart, while the follow-up, Tired Hearts issued in 2023, retained those harmony-rich folk roots even as its production leaned further into polished pop textures.
Born to a pair of classical musicians—their mother on flute and father on cello—fraternal twins Daniel and David Bailen along with their younger sister Julia absorbed a wide-ranging record collection featuring singer/songwriter figures such as Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King. Daniel and David began violin studies at age four, though David shifted to drums by seven; Julia took up Appalachian-style fingerpicking guitar lessons from her father at the same age. Daniel eventually traded violin for guitar before settling on bass. The twins performed together in bands from their preteen years onward, later operating as the duo the Bailen Brothers during their teens. Recognizing the need for a third voice to realize the harmonies and material they were developing, they recruited Julia, who had already begun composing her own songs while pursuing an English literature degree at Barnard College. The three made their first appearance together as BAILEN in 2013.
Late in 2014 Daniel relocated to London to star in the West End production What’s It All About? Bacharach Reimagined; his siblings soon followed, allowing the group to complete more than 30 performances in two months even while Daniel maintained an eight-show weekly schedule in the jukebox musical. Upon returning to New York City in 2015, they established a residency at Rockwood Music Hall and began performing full time. Opening slots for the Lone Bellow and tours alongside Joseph followed in 2017, with further dates supporting Amos Lee in 2018. March 2019 brought their national television debut on CBS This Morning. Produced by Grammy winner John Congleton (the Decemberists, St. Vincent), the debut album Thrilled to Be Here arrived on Fantasy Records that April; the single “I Was Wrong” reached the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay Top 20.
When the trio reconvened in the studio for a fresh set of songs, they worked with another Grammy nominee, producer Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Kevin Morby), who refined their pop focus while preserving evident folk influences. The resulting Tired Hearts, issued on Fantasy Records in May 2023, featured more stylized production than the largely live-in-the-studio approach of their first release.
Born to a pair of classical musicians—their mother on flute and father on cello—fraternal twins Daniel and David Bailen along with their younger sister Julia absorbed a wide-ranging record collection featuring singer/songwriter figures such as Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King. Daniel and David began violin studies at age four, though David shifted to drums by seven; Julia took up Appalachian-style fingerpicking guitar lessons from her father at the same age. Daniel eventually traded violin for guitar before settling on bass. The twins performed together in bands from their preteen years onward, later operating as the duo the Bailen Brothers during their teens. Recognizing the need for a third voice to realize the harmonies and material they were developing, they recruited Julia, who had already begun composing her own songs while pursuing an English literature degree at Barnard College. The three made their first appearance together as BAILEN in 2013.
Late in 2014 Daniel relocated to London to star in the West End production What’s It All About? Bacharach Reimagined; his siblings soon followed, allowing the group to complete more than 30 performances in two months even while Daniel maintained an eight-show weekly schedule in the jukebox musical. Upon returning to New York City in 2015, they established a residency at Rockwood Music Hall and began performing full time. Opening slots for the Lone Bellow and tours alongside Joseph followed in 2017, with further dates supporting Amos Lee in 2018. March 2019 brought their national television debut on CBS This Morning. Produced by Grammy winner John Congleton (the Decemberists, St. Vincent), the debut album Thrilled to Be Here arrived on Fantasy Records that April; the single “I Was Wrong” reached the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay Top 20.
When the trio reconvened in the studio for a fresh set of songs, they worked with another Grammy nominee, producer Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Kevin Morby), who refined their pop focus while preserving evident folk influences. The resulting Tired Hearts, issued on Fantasy Records in May 2023, featured more stylized production than the largely live-in-the-studio approach of their first release.
Albums
Tired Hearts (Deluxe Edition)
2024
Tired Hearts
2023
BAILEN Mixtape Vol. 1
2019
Thrilled To Be Here
2019
Singles
