Natalie Bergman

With her bittersweet songs that reflect the styles of Motown and the sounds of The Wrecking Crew, Natalie Bergman does not care whether her music does or does not suit these times. That is not to say Bergman is purely anachronistic. A decade ago, she cofounded Wild Belle with her brother, Elliot; under the aegis of a major label, their slanted mix of indie rock, electronic pop, and eclectic soul became incredibly popular itself, part of the contemporary zeitgeist. But in 2019, as Bergman was about to step onstage at Radio City Music Hall, a coroner called to say her father and stepmother had been killed by a drunk driver. The tour ended, and Bergman decamped to a silent retreat at a remote New Mexico monastery to listen to her grief and find a new way forward.

Her 2021 solo debut, Mercy, was her way of reckoning with the world, using atavistic gospel sounds to confront her relationship with spirituality and emotional devastation. Its charming 2025 follow-up, My Home Is Not in This World, represents the next logical step, from gospel and loss to R&B and life itself. “Dance” is a kinetic and contagious celebration of being swept into love, while “Looking for You” is a swaying soul testament to building a life together. Bits of motherhood and personal liberation flash inside of these songs, too. Bergman doesn’t concern herself with the au courant, because she knows that these songs—built from the essential fabric of American music and life experience—will feel forever classic.