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music
Flaunt Premiere | Natalie Bergman "Home at Last"
Photographed by Elliot Bergman ![Photographed by Elliot Bergman](https://assets-global.website-files.com/62ee0bbe0c783a903ecc0ddb/6472d376018408f6f7cb2ccf_Natalie%2BBergman%2B-%2BHome%2Bat%2BLast%2B2%2B-%2BPC%2BElliot%2BBergman.jpeg) Photographed by Elliot Bergman [Natalie Bergman](https://www.instagram.com/nataliebergman/), notably of the brother-sister duo Wild Belle, comes with with her debut solo album [_Mercy_](https://orcd.co/nataliebergmanmercy) out May 7th on Third Man Records. On Mercy, Bergman lays it all bare, singing of pain, tragedy, redemption, healing. The album comes after the loss of her father, leading her to retreat to a monastery in Chama Valley. Grieving in isolation, Bergman planted the first seeds of this musical journey. It was after returning that she began writing _Mercy_, with “Home at Last” being the first. “Home at Last” premieres today on _Flaunt_, welcoming listeners into Bergman’s world of reflection and healing. "Answer my prayer, when a great man falls and the skies collapse, where's the joy in this world, is he home at last?" Bergman asks on the track. Surrounded by artists dear to her in a chapel in Los Angeles, clad in white, with stained class illuminated behind her, Bergman encounters her pain head on and finds where home is—and what home can be. Read below for _Flaunt_’s conversation with Bergman about “Home at Last” and _Mercy_. **_Mercy_’s journey began at a monastery in Chama Valley. What was it that gave you that push to start working on the record?** Withdrawing to the wilderness gave me the opportunity to conceptualize this album. When Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been killed, he withdrew to a solitary place to mourn. It’s not uncommon for people who are grieving to find a quiet place of solitude. When I returned from the desert, these songs flowed out of me. They wrote themselves and relied on me to sing them. **You recorded the album at your brother’s home studio. Did you feel any sort of influence of Wild Belle creep in, or did it remain a singular feeling project to record?** I think my Wild Belle tendencies will always find their way in. Wild Belle is me, after all. But _Mercy_ is unlike any album I’ve ever made. I feel like an entirely new being after making this body of work. It’s a rebirth in many ways. I learned a lot about myself while working on the music...the way I want to conduct myself in this world and treat others. There’s a great deal of work to do in our community and for our neighbors. **"Home at Last" is a rather emotional and touching song, and one I can’t imagine was easy to jump into. What was the moment you started writing that song?** I have always written songs about “home.” A place that is not on this earth. It brings me a great deal of comfort knowing that place is waiting for me—especially when life can be so alienating and lonely. I used to sing David Byrne’s “Naive Melody” with my father, and we slowed it down and turned it into a romantic ballad. “Home is where I want to be,” we sang. I have a strong longing for that place. In the video for "Home At Last" I found a small chapel in Los Angeles, and the moment I saw the stained-glass, I felt like it belonged to me. One of the best things about making music is sharing it with the people you love. Playing it with your friends and family. I invited my favorite artists to be a part of this performance, and I asked them to think about what heaven might look like to them. **What was it like making this record solo as opposed to having worked with your brother for so long?** Writing and recording these songs on my own is the only way I could have made this album. It is such a personal testament of sorrow and hope. I love working with my brother and although our band is on hiatus—I’m looking forward to the reunion tour! **What do you hope listeners get out of this record?** I hope this music can be a healing agent for many. I think we could all use a little mercy in our lives. * * * [_Mercy_](https://orcd.co/nataliebergmanmercy) is out May 7th on Third Man Records