BAILEN is made up of siblings Daniel, David, and Julia Bailen, and they have spent a decade figuring out how to be a family and a band at the same time.
They arrived at House of Style having just finished a conversation in the car about whether to stay the thing people first liked them for or evolve. That question runs through the whole episode. They have more than enough songs for another record and tracked the new material live in their basement, just the three of them. They tour in a minivan on purpose, because keeping it lean is what makes it sustainable. Julia makes a lot of her own clothes and buys hats that do not fit. David punched Daniel over a pot of coffee the morning of this taping, and they settle it on mic.
Along the way: what a white T-shirt should actually cost, why most people should get rid of most of their closet, clothing as armor, and Julia's line about wanting every show to feel like a dinner party.
They also stayed and played four songs live, just acoustic, in the room. You can watch all four at youtube.com/@thehouseofstyle
CHAPTERS
0:00 The conversation in the car
3:56 Julia joins the band at 17
7:07 Three writers, no leader
11:37 Hearing past your first impression
15:15 One word for what you want people to feel
18:41 Real, released, refreshed
22:48 Playing a new song for the first time
26:20 Stay the same or evolve
29:44 Julia buys a hat that does not fit
33:39 Why most people should cut most of their closet
37:34 What a white T-shirt should actually cost
42:51 Dressing three people for one stage
47:18 David's curls and where the budget goes
50:53 Touring in a minivan on purpose
55:14 Julia on being allowed to be a dynamic person
58:05 Clothing as armor
1:02:19 Leaving the label
1:07:42 BAILEN's style in three words
1:12:07 If a stranger wrote your next album
1:16:56 Letting go of chasing attention
1:19:53 Consistency over virality
1:23:07 If the next record were a house
1:26:07 Every show should feel like a dinner party
1:29:41 The coffee incident
1:34:23 Great style starts when
STYLE SESSIONS
Watch BAILEN perform Kansas Tornado, BRCA (Nothing Takes Me Down), Something Tells Me and Some Things Like You live:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIRLtrocJr8kMXOmJcqF2XRf7GCoNR84f
MORE BAILEN
The Quickfire Round, a bonus episode: https://youtu.be/RxfgZzVZD_M
ABOUT
House of Style is a show about the habits, decisions, and taste that shape an intentional life. Hosted by Grant Alexander, filmed in Chicago.
houseofstyle.com
Instagram: @houseofstylehq
If this one lands for you, following the show and leaving a review is the single most useful thing you can do for it.