Englewood Native's Band First in History to Perform on Empire State Building

An indie band fronted by an Englewood native became the first in history to film a music video atop the Empire State Building.

According to a report in the New York Times, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, led by singer Karen O, filmed their latest single, "Despair," on the 86th floor of the iconic Manhattan building in April.

Karen O, the stage name of Karen Lee Orzolek, a Dwight Englewood grad, kept the filming a secret for logistical and creative reasons, she told the Times. It's the first time this has ever happened, and it took a careful vetting process.

“It’s definitely not just another cool day in the life of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs,” she told the paper Thursday. “It was definitely an iconic moment. It’s hard to do something like that and not to feel like it’s symbolic – it’s like the American dream for us, singing your song on top of the Empire State Building, feeling like: man, where were we 10 years ago, when we were sitting around in some punk rock dive bar, thinking about what to name our band, and New York City, and now here we are at the top. It really felt dreamlike.”