The project of Montreal-based singer/songwriter Brigitte Naggar, Common Holly blends acoustic, electric, and manipulated textures to weave intimate, off-kilter songs. She made her Barsuk label debut with her second album, 2019's When I Say to You Black Lightning. Naggar was born in New York, but her family moved from Brooklyn to Montreal when she was an infant. Her parents both played musical instruments, and her father bought her first guitar when she was a teenager. Though she set music aside while attending McGill University, Naggar felt inspired to pursue it after graduating. Adopting the alias Common Holly, her debut album, Playing House, was recorded with co-producer Devon Bate and featured an appearance by composer/pianist Jean-Michel Blais. It arrived on Australian-U.S. label Solitaire Recordings in 2017. In the meantime, Common Holly shared bills with Julia Jacklin, Half Waif, and Tim Darcy, among others. She spent much of 2018 touring, including making her SXSW festival debut, and appeared on Fred Thomas' album Aftering alongside another tourmate, Anna Burch. The year 2019 included guest vocals on Ada Lea's album What We Say in Private, and Bate returned to co-produce that October's When I Say to You Black Lightning, Common Holly's Barsuk Records debut. ~ Marcy Donelson