Cruel Youth

Cruel Youth crafts vibrant electropop that carries the clear imprint of the Ronettes. The group originated from New Zealand pop singer/songwriter/producer Willy Moon (William Sinclair) and English singer/songwriter/actress Teddy Sinclair, who previously performed dance-pop under the name Natalia Kills. Its formation came after Natalia Kills issued two Interscope albums (2011’s Perfectionist and 2013’s Trouble), Willy Moon released his debut LP (2013’s Here’s Willy Moon), the pair wed in 2014, and both served briefly as judges on New Zealand’s The X Factor in February 2015. Following their removal from the program amid public backlash over their pointed remarks toward a contestant, the couple relocated to New York, Natalia ended her Interscope affiliation, and she adopted the legal name Teddy Sinclair. The Sinclairs launched Cruel Youth near the end of 2015 and spent close to three months secluded in the studio composing and tracking material. The project’s inaugural single, “Mr. Watson,” appeared in February 2016 and presented the ’60s girl group–inflected indie pop performed by Sinclair on lead vocals alongside Tina Hanäé on keyboards and Lauren Stockner on guitar, while Moon handled production duties offstage. “Diamond Days” emerged as the follow-up single two months afterward, and the debut EP +30mg was released in September 2016. In mid-2017 Cruel Youth joined HOLYWATER on the dance track “Hush.”