In the midst of a noisy and cluttered musical landscape, New York City-based singer-songwriter Lana Nauphal’s authentic, crystalline voice and insightful lyricism emerge like a breath of fresh air.
On May 24th, she will release her debut LP, Wildland, produced by Tim Bidwell (Lucy Rose, Kate Walsh), a 10-track collection poised to enchant ears and captivate hearts.
Born into a complicated, yet rich tapestry of Lebanese, American, British, and French heritage, the seeds of Nauphal’s musical journey were planted when, at the tender age of 13, she became enamored with the timeless sounds of 60s and 70s folk. As a young adult making her way through college, music was a passion, but not a career choice. Then, she fell in love.
"Pursuing pre-law at Georgetown University, I met a truth-teller in the form of a boy,” she recalls. “A musician himself, he picked up on what was circling, unrelenting, in my periphery, and confronted me with it: my undeniable call to music. I hadn’t realized how buried it had become - his reverence of my capabilities inspired me to dig it up, dust it off, and claim it as my own. I fell in with him, and his raucous band of friends, and we were ridiculously happy - sleepless nights, making music, painting on the walls,” she adds. “They brought to life a wildness in me.”
When the relationship unraveled, Nauphal was left alone with the pieces: pieces of a life she now knew she needed to live, music she knew she needed to make. "This time, it was up to me. Piece by piece, I built myself up," she says. "This album, Wildland, was my glue.”
Each track on Wildland offers reminiscence, resolve, and renewal - her tender vocals awash in raw vulnerability.
Whimsical lead single "Oh He Oh My," captures that fleeting bliss of new love, while in the wistful nostalgia of "Is It Raining in California?" she sings of the hope of still-shared experiences.
The emotional nadir of the album, "Sure As The Score," speaks to the exhaustion of being in love with a person who is difficult to be in love with. “In my experience, this difficulty was enhanced by a substance dependency,” she explains. “You realize you can’t go on with this person anymore, that they will never be who you need them to be, but you’re still hanging on, running in circles with them, making a mess of everything. You can’t let go, even if you know it’s time.”
In bluesy, languid “The Sweetest Thing,” Nauphal embraces finally letting go. “This is the song of acceptance,” she says. It details the ability to see the relationship for what it was - choosing to remember the sweetness, let go of the rest, and move on.
Album closer “One Is The Loneliest Dream” brings us into the next chapter – embracing a singular dream, and forging ahead on a new path.
From profound introspection to unyielding resilience, from brokenness to the glimmer of hope, the graceful melodies of Lana Nauphal’s ever-relatable Wildland offer catharsis to wounded hearts and stir the soul.
biography by Susan Hamilton