LULLANAS

The Philadelphia-based duo Lullanas crafts breezy folk-pop through twin sisters Atisha Lulla and Nishita Lulla. Their independently released single “Don’t Say” from the late 2010s surpassed a million streams and secured a contract with Nettwerk Music Group, which released their debut EP Before Everything Got Real in 2020.

Although music had long captivated both sisters and they sang from childhood, they waited until college to begin performing as a unit. Nishita picked up the guitar her father had given her before college, prompting the pair to write their earliest songs together. After playing shows around New York, they captured the sweetly uplifting indie folk song “Don’t Say” during a visit to their grandmother in India. Released in 2016 under the name Lullanas with little initial notice, the track gradually amassed a million streams. Their blend of Americana, indie folk, country, and pop attracted Nettwerk, which teamed them with producer Peter Katis of the National. The label’s first two singles from the sisters, “Memphis” and “Highway Honey,” surfaced in early 2020 as wistful, romantic numbers carrying a laid-back folk-pop tone; both tracks later appeared on Before Everything Got Real.