Singer/ keyboardist Ruby Carr and singer/bassist Natalia Panzarella met at just 16 years old and formed a life long bond in both their friendships and career, shortly after meeting and naming themselves Bahari they released “Wild Ones” generating over 40 million Spotify streams. Their EP “Dancing on the Sun” and singles “ Get Together” and “Fucked Up” gabbed the attention of Selena Gomez and Birdy who they toured with and also collaborated with Zedd, ILLENIUM and Grey. In 2018 their hit song, Gold-certified “Savage” went viral with over 100 million streams and in 2020 took on a second life with an official remix featuring BIA. The song is currently used in promos for “American Horror Stories”.

The duo joined forces with VAST, a platform that helps creators build their network and net worth, and lent “Bipolar” to a PSA for Project Healthy Minds – a nonprofit confronting the mental health crisis. Along with a livestreamed roundtable discussion moderated by Hayley Hasselhoff – actor, model, self-acceptance coach and host of the new podcast, Redefine You: A Conversation for Wellbeing, the initiative included an auction of AI-fueled NFT’s culled from the “Bipolar” music video. The visual features a storyline that depict manic mood swings between its pair of on-screen couples, dramatized with an evocative overlay of effects and graphics generated entirely in AI by Seyhan Lee and AI artist Lulu XXX.

The auction on MakersPlace donated 20% of the net proceeds to Project Healthy Minds. It marked one of the first integrated music and visual NFT offerings designed to benefit mental health. Bahari’s songs have surpassed 650 million streams and last year their hit collaboration with ILLENIUM, “CRASHING” was featured in the To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Original Soundtrack. In partnership with Epic Records, the pair released their latest EP Forget You this summer, and continue to release more of their intrinsically personal and relatable music into the rest of 2021. We had the pleasure to talk with the girls about their roots, rise, inspirations like Dolly Parton and Fleetwood Mac and how they navigate mental health.

Check out the interview below…

Tell us about your new song “Ways Of Love” – what was the inspiration behind it?
Bahari: We wrote “Ways Of Love” about that moment and feeling right before you finally give in to falling in love with someone. It’s about that decision to trust someone with your heart and to learn the way that they love.

You recently released a new EP, “Forget You”, that has deeply personal songs on it, especially “Jackie Kennedy” and “Bipolar.” Could you tell us a bit about what inspired these songs? Please tell us about your process and how you were able to create in the wake of such tragedy. Why did you name these songs this way?
Natalia: With “Jackie Kennedy,” after losing someone very close to me, I couldn’t talk about it for two years. The song was really therapeutic for me when writing it. After putting the song out and playing it live, we heard so many other people’s stories of loss. Being able to connect with them made me feel less alone and our hope is that the song did that for them, as well. The ups and downs of relationships we were both experiencing at the time while also struggling with our own mental health was what inspired “Bipolar”. It was something I wanted to be open about for a long time and we realized we both were going through similar situations.

Natalia you are diagnosed as bipolar, when did you learn this and how are you treating it? You’ve been open about it to fans and media, which is so great to help people normalize the conversation and remove shame about it for those also facing the same issue. What made you so willing to share?
Natalia: I was diagnosed two years ago. As someone who is still learning, being open about it and going to therapy are two things that have been really helpful for me. We wanted to share this with our fans because we realized so many people were also going through it. It was scary at first, but after opening up in our music, we hope that it helps to normalize the conversation.

You’re both very active with the organization “Project Healthy Minds” they offer mental health help to those who need it, how did you find them and tell us what they do exactly?
Bahari: We’re really excited to work with Project Healthy Minds and be given a platform to share some of our stories in hopes that they would comfort or help others. Project Healthy Minds offers many resources like therapy, numbers you can call to talk to someone right away, and a community of people willing to share their stories and end the stigma on mental health. More information can be found at https://www.projecthealthyminds.com/.

Mental Health has thankfully become as popular as the COVID-19 conversation, due to the pandemic it seems people are finally starting to really empathize over mental struggles and healing, how has this changed tour views on things? What has been something positive for you both with this global crisis?
Bahari: Isolation and having to deal with something so frightening have definitely had a huge toll on people’s mental health across the world. However, it has definitely opened up the conversation about mental health and it that has helped with the destigmatization behind talking about it. At least for us, it was really hard to adjust, but something positive that we’ve taken away from the whole experience was being able to take a break and be forced to slow down. It gave us so much more time to write and learn about ourselves.

What is the process of creating music together like? How do you know when a song is done?
Bahari: We have been writing music together since we were 16 years old, so it has almost become second nature. What makes it so special is that we are able to write about each other’s experiences, as well as our own. As perfectionists it’s hard to know when a song is finished, but we usually know it’s done if Natalia starts crying when we get the final mix back.

Which artists known and/or unknown have inspired you when you were younger and also presently?
Ruby: My mom’s best friend Janelle was my biggest inspiration. She would always sing and write her own music. I used to know every song of hers by heart and I remember thinking that I wanted to be like her.
Natalia: My mom sings country music, and growing up watching her perform and write songs was really inspiring to me. She showed me so many artists as well that had a huge influence on me, like Dolly Parton, and Fleetwood Mac.

You’ve toured with major artists like Selena Gomez and collaborated with many more, what have been the best takeaways? What surprised you? How did you change from those experiences?
Bahari: Opening for Selena Gomez on the revival tour was one of the first tours we ever did. We learned so much from it, but what really stuck with us is seeing how much hard work and dedication it takes to put on a show like that. It inspired us so much creatively to put on the best show we could. She was so supportive of us as new artists and that’s something we will never forget.

Who would you each like to collaborate with most?
Bahari: There are so many dream collaborations for us, it is hard to pick only one. At the moment if we were to aim really high, we would say Kendrick Lamar or The Weeknd.

What role do you feel fashion plays in your life? How would you describe your style? And which designers do you like most or are you more a vintage shop kind of person?
Bahari: Fashion plays a huge role in our lives. Since we were young, fashion has always been an inspiration to us. Chanel, YSL, Jacquemus, the list goes on. Of course, vintage stores and thrifting are probably where we get most of our clothes. It is hard to describe our style, but our favorite thing about fashion is being able to express ourselves through our style as well as our music.

You met at just 16 years old, tell us about how that happened and when you knew you’d form your duo?
Bahari: We first met and became friends. We were both kind of outcasts in a way and our shared love for music is what brought us together. After we made “Wild Ones,” the first song we wrote together, that is when we knew we wanted to do this together.

Where is the name Bahari come from? How did you know it was the right name?
Ruby: Bahari means “the ocean” in Swahili. I grew up in Kenya, and Natalia was asking me to teach her some words. She asked what the ocean meant. I said Bahari, and we both kind of looked at each other and decided that is what we should call ourselves.

What is a normal day like for you both?
Bahari: Lately, we’ve been working on our next EP. So, usually our day looks like lots of coffee in the morning, and working from our home studio all day.

Fans might be surprised to know what about you both?
Ruby: Natalia wakes up at 6 am every day, and she loves building furniture, lol. I spend too much time playing video games!

What are your favorite places in LA and when traveling is safe where do you hope to visit?
Bahari: The Huntington library botanical gardens, and of course Malibu. There’s so many places we would love to visit but I’d say we just really hope to go on an International tour.

Finally, what is your own version of Wonderland like? Describe it for us as your most ideal day or life or vision?
Bahari: We miss touring and experiencing new places and cities. Our Wonderland day would be: waking up somewhere we’ve never been, eating some amazing food, exploring a new city, and then playing a show. Our favorite feeling is playing new songs for the first time.