Music

The Naked and Famous find their place in a changing industry, aim to kick Lady Gaga off the charts

by Anne T. Donahue

Thanks to everyone from Kurt Cobain to Tyler the Creator, the definition of pop music has changed. And with this shift in musical values comes an industry in flux, leaving bands like New Zealand’s The Naked and Famous to find their music featured on network television and their agendas dictated by label execs. Not that they’re about to complain, mind you—with only a full-length debut to their name, such victories are quite the feat.

“In the late 90s, you would consider [bands like Tool and Nirvana] pop music, in a way,” says frontman Thom Powers. “Maybe back then it would’ve been seen as alternative or industrial, but in the bigger picture, it’s all part of pop music culture. Then you notice that all that stuff seems to be related, and all of a sudden, music becomes part of an era as opposed to part of a genre.”

“I’d like to think that people hear our music and hear different types of songs and see the correlation between [other artists],” he adds. “It feels like an exciting time for popular music. I like that shift. It’d be great if we could kick Lady Gaga off the charts.”

While the band sees Arcade Fire’s Grammy win as a victory for the cause, they’ve quickly learned that to maintain longevity in a disposable culture, you’ve got to earn it, and that commitment to a greater good means the total abandonment of pretension and inflated egos.

“It’s fascinating to see how things work and how radio has a huge effect on sales,” Powers reflects. “TV shows have synced us, and it’s funny to see how many people notice and pick up on it. Just different types of fans, you know? I probably would’ve said something pretty pretentious about a Gossip Girl fan, but as a result of being synced on it, we’ve watched it.”

“We’re still learning every day about how the music industry works,” he continues.

“All of a sudden, you’ve popped up the charts because you gave some high fives and ate some pizza,” Woods chimes in.

Yet the industry is a fickle friend, and if you aren’t willing to play by its rules, the band understands that another group will gladly step up and play along with the majors.

“It’s very demeaning and it’s very sad, because you literally say jump and I have to do it,” he says. “I have to do a backflip as well as a jump, which is very frustrating, but we’ll see. We’re still young. We’re still figuring it all out. It would be nice to get to a point where we can sit back.”

As for their stamina, the group’s expansive musical backgrounds have taught them the importance of determination. And while they’ve only released Passive Me Aggressive You earlier this year, they band remain confidant in their own abilities—at least for the most part.

“Seventy percent of the time we actually might know what we’re doing,” laughs Woods.