Meernaa pairs songwriter Carly Bond’s dusky, dexterous vocals with sensual, technically refined compositions that reference neo-soul, classic R&B, and the passionate side of indie-pop, with influences as diverse as Sade, Cate Le Bon, Minnie Riperton, and Talk Talk.

Throughout Meernaa’s work, Carly Bond has viewed heavy themes like addiction and loss through the lens of love. 

On “I Believe In You,” she says: “Growing up both my parents were addicts. They eventually became sober, but even through their sobriety their mental health was neglected and there was this narrative ingrained in me that I wouldn’t escape their same fate. This song is about actively challenging and changing self-fulfilling prophecies and mustering up the gumption to let myself believe that I had a right to have positive things in my life.” 

“On My Line” was inspired by Joni Mitchell’s “Car On A Hill” and channels a sad, cool acceptance of rejection, and in that, a sense of release.

“Another Dimension” is about a vivid dream Bond had where she traveled back in time to meet her partner 10 years before they’d ever actually met. After she woke she couldn’t shake the visceral, lingering feeling.

Bond grew up in different towns around the northern Bay Area, using poetry and music as a means to escape and process emotion. At an early age she was gifted a cassette of Whitney Houston’s self-titled album and learned how powerful and healing a thing music could be. Bond would often self-soothe throughout her adolescence by listening and exploring different genres: listening to the classic rock radio station, going to Yoshi’s jazz club in Oakland, and downloading anything she could off of Daytrotter.

Bond eventually began learning guitar through her high school jazz program and writing songs of her own. Wanting to deepen her knowledge of music and grappling with the decision of attending college, Bond began interning at Tiny Telephone Recording in San Francisco in 2013. Enamored with the studio, Bond saved up her tips from her job at a pizza restaurant to afford one day of recording and ended up working with her future bandmate and husband Rob Shelton.

Shelton and Bond began playing music together soon after and Bond began releasing music as Meernaa, collaborating with other Bay Area musicians Doug Stuart (Brijean) and Andrew Maguire. In 2020 Shelton and Bond moved to Los Angeles together to open their own studio Altamira Sound with other Tiny Telephone alums James Riotto and Andrew Maguire.

Part of a blooming Los Angeles music scene, Carly Bond is a session and touring guitarist who’s worked with artists Luke Temple, Jerry Paper, Suzanne Vallie, and Miya Folick.

Meernaa has shared bills with Helado Negro, Miya Folick, Nilüfer Yanya, Brijean, and Sam Evian.