Bat for Lashes

Under her moniker Bat for Lashes, singer/songwriter Natasha Khan has sculpted mystical and theatrical indie pop that’s equal parts dramatic and danceable. Born in London in 1979, Khan taught herself to play piano by the age of 11, and moved to Brighton in the early 2000s to study visual art and music. It was there that Bat for Lashes blossomed: in 2006, Khan released her debut, Fur and Gold, which was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize on the strength of songs like the spooky, ‘60s girl group-indebted “What’s a Girl To Do?” In 2009, she embraced her wild alter-ego Pearl through the concept album Two Suns, balancing lush atmospheres with mesmerising melodies on songs like “Daniel”. The Haunted Man (2012) found her in full command of her pop powers while also making room for understated intimacy (“Laura”), and she told the tale of a lover beset by unimaginable tragedy on The Bride (2016). In 2019, Lost Girls heralded a spacey sound awash in ‘80s-indebted synths on cinematic tracks like “The Hunger”, reminding listeners of Khan’s relentless pursuit of new creative directions.