After years of writing and refining their sound, Leanne and Naara is excited to release their debut album Daybreak. Now available on digital music platforms, some of the songs were initially recorded when the duo attended a music camp in Sweden. The album was finally finished in collaboration with Sonic State Audio and London-based duo Chasing Fantasia for the recording and mastering, and Warner Music Philippines.
Describing how the album came together, Leanne said, “We started working on Daybreak just in June. Albeit unfortunate, the lockdown seemed to have given us the push that we needed. Our schedule was always busy due to gigs and so now we had time to really focus on the album. I feel like it’s always just been a plan, something we’ve promised our fans for a long time already, and it’s just now that it’s come to fruition. There were moments of frustration but then we look back and we think we probably wouldn’t have made something as good as this if we did it prematurely. We’ve grown so much as artists, and we believe the album took its time, but it was definitely worth the wait. It’s something we’re proud of. It’s something we believe gives our listeners a full experience of our sound and of who we are. It’s also nice to have a body of work that you can always look back to.”
Leanne and Naara offered a glimpse into Daybreak with singles Keeping Me Up, Who’s Gonna Love You, and Let Go in the months leading up to the album’s debut. Complementing visuals have also been shot during quarantine, with photographer Shaira Luna as the duo’s creative director. On what tracks to include and which ones to release as singles, Leanne explained, “We picked out what we believe were the strongest songs in their own right. Keeping Me Up was going to be an introduction to our new sound, so we wanted to hit the listeners with that right away, although we were a bit worried at first since it’s a big jump sonically. Who’s Gonna Love You, we thought, would appeal to younger listeners and since we want to open up our music to more people we thought it would make a great single. Basically these songs give our fans a taste of what the album is going to be like. But at the same time there’s still so much to look forward to that we don’t want to give away just yet.”
“Track listing is the one of the hardest parts that we had to do because there were some song demos that we recorded and thought was fit for the album but did not make it in the end. When we started recording last June, we first talked about what direction we should take. Should it be narrative or should we show a certain type of emotion or story or should we make the songs alike with each other? In the end, we all agreed to go modern, pop while still keeping the Leanne and Naara sound (you can tell it when you listen to the album!) and made Keeping Me Up our basis for the entire album. Basically, it’s Leanne and Naara version 2.0,” Naara added.
While Daybreak marks the duo’s first official album release, Leanne and Naara has already established a solid presence in the music scene including performing alongside Filipino music heavyweights, and playing at several notable venues like Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Looking back on their early sound and how their music has evolved, Leanne shared, “Lyrically, I feel like the writing has become simpler. One of the goals was to make the new songs more singable and to have a stronger recall and so we had to do away with the wordy verses. I had a hard time at first, since my writing style is more close to storytelling but it’s a nice challenge to convey something with fewer words. Production-wise, we wanted a more modern feel to the album so it’s very much like Run Run again, with all the synths and the beats and not so much of the band, organic feel. Even the acoustic sound that everyone’s so used to isn’t quite there anymore. It’s interesting that we get to unveil this side of us that I think started when we released Destination.”
Through Daybreak, the electronic pop duo voiced out the flaps and fusses of their generation through entrancing music, easily shifting from being insightful to exciting and romantic. It’s a formidable record with fun and introspection at its core; a satisfying listen, with Leanne and Naara showing earnestness that’s become central to their identity from the very beginning.
You can now listen to Daybreak on major digital platforms, and watch its accompanying videos on Leanne and Naara’s and Warner Music Philippines’ Youtube channels.
ADVT.
