By Cody Thomas

“Paparazzi” was an interesting choice for a cover, considering the venue. When L2 performed the Lady Gaga song at the Bitter End this past Dec. 30, it paid homage to the pop star in more ways than one. For those who do not know, Lady Gaga performed at the Bitter End a handful of times during her brief enrollment at NYU.

That celebratory spirit contributes a lot to L2’s stage presence. A more commanding attribute of their performance, though, may lie in their ability to complement each other. They are sisters after all.

“In real life, I’m more outgoing,” said Jessica Labbadia, 17, a high school senior and the younger of the two. “On stage, Melissa is more outgoing.”

L2, formerly known as the Labbadia Sisters, was formed by Jessica and Melissa, 20. They currently live in Norwalk, CT but have recently made an effort to establish a presence in Manhattan’s heralded music scene. The duo has also graced the stage with well-known pop acts like Ryan Cabrera and Anberlin. It’s safe to say L2 has picked up steam since their humble beginnings.

“Music has been a part of our family since we were so little,” said Jessica. Indeed, Melissa was involved with musical theater at 3.

“We sang together at home, writing music,” said Melissa, referring to their childhood together. The sisters decided to combine their passion for music around middle school age, forming the first incarnation of L2. The sisters began performing consistently when Melissa was only 15, starting with school band nights that slowly evolved into NYC club gigs.

L2 has, admittedly, gone through their fair share of different styles. Recently, the girls have tried to add something new to their pop-rock sound. “We’ve added dance beats,” said Jessica. “It sounds like Katie Perry meets Lady Gaga.” Melissa went on to list more influences; Kelly Clarkson, Pat Benetar, and Joan Jett all included.

Incidentally, with the new sound came newfound success. Recently, their shows have been so well attended that they decided to start hosting meet-and-greets. “The coolest was when we were recognized on the street in New York,” said Melissa, who credited their New York street team as a big part of the process.

The increasing popularity has been a result of hard work, but it doesn’t mean the sisters can start to take any time off. Melissa decided to postpone college in order to do more work for the band, and things have been stressful for Jessica at times, considering that she is also dealing with her last year of high school. “But it’s what I want to do,” said Jessica. “It’s worth the late nights.”

“It’s our life, and we’re used to doing it,” said Melissa.

“It is sad, though,” joked Jessica. Melissa chimed in to help finish the sentence, saying, “When there’s no time to bake cookies for Christmas.”

L2 made one thing clear. They were committed to their music. The most telling sign may have been the freezing cold back room the girls were enduring at the Bitter End. For them, playing in New York was well worth the price. “We love New York,” said Melissa. “It’s so alive.”

While the City is a satisfying place for the girls to broaden their horizons, their goals are much more ambitious. “We would love to tour,” said Melissa. She added that the final piece of the puzzle would be to land a record deal.

While Jessica admitted that she thinks about using her musical abilities to pursue other careers (both girls are still involved in musical theater, and Melissa just finished up her lead role in the off-Broadway performance of “Cleopatra” this summer), Melissa had a different take on the process. “I want to go at music full force,” she said. “Instead of a backup plan, that energy could be used towards the ultimate goal.”