La Roux
Encyclopedia
La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson
, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also recognises that due to her prominence, it may "look like a solo act". The supporting band members to the duo are Michael 'Mikey' Norris (on keyboard), Mickey O'Brien (keyboards and backing vocals) and William Bowerman (on drums).
La Roux' music is influenced by 1980s British synthpop
including Yazoo
, Erasure
, Depeche Mode
, OMD
, The Human League
, Heaven 17
and Eurythmics
. The band's name refers to Jackson's red hair and tomboyish appearance, mingling the masculine (le roux) and feminine (la rousse) French terms; she has said:
At the 53rd Grammy Awards
on 13 February 2011, La Roux's eponymous debut album
won the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
.
due to Elly's huge admiration of acts like Nick Drake
and Joni Mitchell
.
", was released by French independent record label Kitsuné Music
in December 2008. They then signed to Polydor Records
in order to release their debut album.
La Roux's second single "In for the Kill" was released on 16 March 2009. Later, two prominent dubstep
producers, Skream
and Skrillex, created remixes of the track. Another remix was made by Lifelike. "In for the Kill" debuted at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart
on 22 March 2009, peaking at number two four weeks later. "Bulletproof," later remixed by dubstep producer/dj Chrispy was released on 21 June 2009 and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song was released on 11 August 2009 in the United States and topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart the week of 17 September. As of 11 June 2010 it had peaked at number 8 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and had sold over 2.0 million copies. The band's debut album peaked at 70 (number 4 on the Dance/Electronic chart). "I'm Not Your Toy
", released on 29 September 2009, reached number twenty-seven on the UK chart. On 10 September 2009, Elly confirmed in an interview with French musical website Hall Musique that "As If by Magic" would be the fifth single to be released from the album.
In order to promote La Roux, the band was the supporting act on Lily Allen
's UK tour
of March 2009. La Roux headlined the Samsung NME Radar Tour 2009 and played alongside Magistrates
and Heartbreak
. They were scheduled to perform at the Glastonbury
, Reading, Oxegen
and Leeds
festivals as well as the Scala
, Southend Chinnerys and Coventry Kasbah venues. In July and August 2009, La Roux toured North America. The eight-city tour included performances at Osheaga Festival
, All Points West Music & Arts Festival
and Lollapalooza
. On 23 July the group performed on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The group will return to North America for a seven-date tour in October. The group sold out their two Australian dates within minutes forcing an upgrade in venues. November will see the duo embark on an eleven-date United Kingdom and Ireland tour. La Roux gained fifth position on the BBC
Sound of 2009
poll. The Guardian
website featured La Roux on their new band of the day column. The Guardian also featured La Roux as one of the "Best New Acts of 2009" in January of that year. The album has been nominated for a Mercury Prize
.
Sales of the group's song "In for the Kill
" spiked 600 percent when a version of it ("Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix") was played on the HBO show Entourage
in August 2010. Later that month, it was announced that an EP
remix has been released in tandem with the November US tour. In October, a second video for the song was released that was shot at New York's landmark Hotel Chelsea
. The song was released in the United States 7 October.
As of January 2011, La Roux were writing their second album with a somewhat established indie rock
band whose members are friends of Jackson. Jackson told the NME
that "I know I'm not going to stop writing until we've got songs that can compete on the same level as 'In For The Kill' and 'Bulletproof'".
Jackson also said that she hoped that the new album would have a rounder sexier tone. "I’d like a more sexual feel to the record, but not in a sex-in-the-club kinda way—the way sexy was before it got made dirty. Sexy can be classy, sexy can be cool, sexy can be actually sexy," she said.
that allows artists from the electronic field free rein to showcase their musical interests. The mix eclectically features the likes of Japan
, Heaven 17
, Joyce Sims
, Fever Ray (Lead singer of The Knife
), Doris Troy
, Tears For Fears
, Gerry Rafferty
and many more of her influences. It also includes an exclusive recording of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb", a cover Elly's been featuring in her recent live sets. Album notes, with explanations for each choice, can be found here.
's first interest was in folk music
. She was particularly interested in Carole King
and Nick Drake
whose music she discovered in her parents' record collection. Jackson's early musical material consisted of folk ditties influenced by Joni Mitchell
. Her taste in music changed during her mid-teens when she became involved in the rave
scene. She lists Gerry Rafferty
, David Bowie
, Madonna
, Prince
and The Knife
as her influences. Jackson is unhappy with what she perceives as a "normality" fashion trend among a majority of today's musical acts. Her androgynous clothing and hair style has been compared to the 1980s group A Flock of Seagulls
. Jackson strongly opposes stylists who try to change her appearance to a more classically feminine look. Jackson does not feel that social networking
will help musicians' careers in the long run because it makes them too accessible at the expense of mystery and intrigue.
Jackson's mother is Trudie Goodwin
, who rose to fame playing June Ackland on the long-running police series The Bill
. Her Great Grandfather is Anthony Bernard
, the founder of the London Chamber Orchestra
.
of Faithless
; the two musicians went to the same school and later collaborated as Huff & Puff in the mid 1990s, releasing the house
single "Help Me Make It" in 1996. Langmaid also recorded as Atomic and was one half of Huff & Herb, before contributing as a songwriter to indie rock
band Kubb
's debut album Mother
, released in 2005. This project was again linked to Rollo Armstrong; Kubb's frontman Harry Collier was introduced to Langmaid after Collier sang "Happy Birthday to You
" to Armstrong whilst working as a waiter in a North London
organic café. Langmaid turned down the offer of a permanent position in Kubb.. In 2011 Langmaid wrote material for the early 1990s R&B styled girl group "War of Words"
(Keyboard)
is a London-based musician and is one of two keyboard players that support La Roux on their tours and live dates. A native of the Chester
area in Cheshire
, Norris studied music at university, joining La Roux shortly after graduating from a music degree.
Mickey O'Brien
(Keyboards and backing vocals)
O'Brien has been playing with La Roux for eighteen months, touring Europe and North America. Although her voice is unheard on the album, she performs backing vocals during song performances; namely "Bulletproof", "As If by Magic" and "Armour Love". She is also known as Ladyburden and owns a MySpace page with her own songs. O'Brien is currently in a long-term relationship with English actor Jim Sturgess
. Mickey is also the younger cousin of Radiohead's Ed O'Brien
.
William Bowerman
(Drums)
Former drummer for I Was a Cub Scout
, an indie band from Lincolnshire
and Nottinghamshire
. Current drummer for Brontide along with La Roux. In 2011, Bowerman joined Summer Camp and also stood in to play some festival dates for New Young Pony Club.
group Heaven 17
on the 6 Music Live Combos
show. Heaven 17 keyboardist Martyn Ware
said that he was surprised at how well his and Jackson's voices connected.
La Roux also performed at T in the Park
Balado, Scotland, V Festival (Chelmsford and Staffordshire) and Oxegen Festival (Ireland) along with many other artists in 2010. La Roux have also been popular with music publication NME, with Jackson gracing the front cover of their 'Future 50' edition. They won the NME Award for Best Dancefloor Filler with the Skream Remix of 'In For The Kill'. They were also the only band to be featured 4 times on the NME 50 Best Tracks of 2009 list with Im Not Your Toy placed at 41, Bulletproof at 24, In For the Kill Skream Dubstep Remix at 19 and In For The Kill riding high at 8.
Elly Jackson of La Roux was the judge at the 2010 "fantasy dress" at Bestival festival
.
On 25 June 2010, La Roux played the Glastonbury Festival
. In addition to their own material the group dueted with Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17
on Heaven 17's "Temptation
" and played a cover of The Rolling Stones
Under my Thumb
. La Roux have played Under My Thumb since early 2010, including their March tour of Australia. Elly Jackson also performed a cover version of Terence Trent D'arby's Sign Your Name
with Heaven 17 at Bestival in 2010.
On 9 August 2010, Skream
released the album "Outside the Box
" which features a song called "Finally" featuring La Roux.
On 31 December, La Roux appeared on the American television program Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
.
In February 2011, La Roux won the Best Electronic/Dance Album Grammy Award
for their self-titled debut album. Their single "In for the Kill
" was nominated for Best Dance Recording Elly Jackson wrote on Twitter "This is the happiest I think I've ever been". This contrasts Elly Jackson's previous comments at the 2010 NME Awards, where she lightheartedly stated that the group "rarely wins awards". Ben Langmaid stated in a post-award interview, that the day before the Grammys, the duo were rewarded with a double platinum set of discs from their record company, describing the weekend of the Grammys as "My happiest weekend ever". On the 2011 collaboration album Watch the Throne
between Jay-Z
and Kanye West
, Jackson provided vocals for the track "That's My Bitch".
Elly Jackson
Eleanor Kate "Elly" Jackson is an English singer-songwriter and the lead singer of the electropop duo La Roux. She is well known for her red hair and androgynous style.-Biography:...
, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also recognises that due to her prominence, it may "look like a solo act". The supporting band members to the duo are Michael 'Mikey' Norris (on keyboard), Mickey O'Brien (keyboards and backing vocals) and William Bowerman (on drums).
La Roux' music is influenced by 1980s British synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
including Yazoo
Yazoo (band)
Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
, Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, OMD
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
, The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
, Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
and Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
. The band's name refers to Jackson's red hair and tomboyish appearance, mingling the masculine (le roux) and feminine (la rousse) French terms; she has said:
At the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
on 13 February 2011, La Roux's eponymous debut album
La Roux (album)
La Roux is the eponymous debut album by English electropop duo La Roux. Released in the United Kingdom on 29 June 2009 by Polydor Records, the album includes the hit singles "In for the Kill" and "Bulletproof", which peaked at numbers two and one on the UK Singles Chart, respectively...
won the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the dance music and electronica genres...
.
Formation
In 2006, Jackson and Langmaid were introduced by a mutual friend. Their first project was named "Automan" and they wrote largely acoustic musicAcoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
due to Elly's huge admiration of acts like Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
and Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
.
Debut album
La Roux's debut single, "QuicksandQuicksand (La Roux song)
"Quicksand" is a song by English electropop duo La Roux from their self-titled debut album, La Roux. Written and produced by Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid, the song was released as the album's lead single on 15 December 2008 by Kitsuné Music. It peaked at number 153 on the UK Singles Chart upon...
", was released by French independent record label Kitsuné Music
Kitsuné Music
Kitsuné is a French fashion label and electronic music record label created in 2002 by Gildas Loaëc, Masaya Kuroki and the London-based company Åbäke...
in December 2008. They then signed to Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
in order to release their debut album.
La Roux's second single "In for the Kill" was released on 16 March 2009. Later, two prominent dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
producers, Skream
Skream
Skream is a dubstep producer based in Croydon. One of dubstep's first and most prominent producers, he has played an important role in the genre's development. His debut album Skream! was released in 2006, and was followed up by Outside the Box in 2010...
and Skrillex, created remixes of the track. Another remix was made by Lifelike. "In for the Kill" debuted at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on 22 March 2009, peaking at number two four weeks later. "Bulletproof," later remixed by dubstep producer/dj Chrispy was released on 21 June 2009 and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song was released on 11 August 2009 in the United States and topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart the week of 17 September. As of 11 June 2010 it had peaked at number 8 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and had sold over 2.0 million copies. The band's debut album peaked at 70 (number 4 on the Dance/Electronic chart). "I'm Not Your Toy
I'm Not Your Toy
"I'm Not Your Toy" is a song by English electropop duo La Roux from their self-titled debut album, La Roux. Written and produced by Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid, the song was released as the album's fourth single on 28 September 2009. It is available on CD, 12" and digital formats including two...
", released on 29 September 2009, reached number twenty-seven on the UK chart. On 10 September 2009, Elly confirmed in an interview with French musical website Hall Musique that "As If by Magic" would be the fifth single to be released from the album.
In order to promote La Roux, the band was the supporting act on Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
's UK tour
Lily Allen concert tour (2009)
The It's Not Me, It's You World Tour is the second concert tour by English singer-songwriter Lily Allen in support her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You...
of March 2009. La Roux headlined the Samsung NME Radar Tour 2009 and played alongside Magistrates
Magistrates (band)
Magistrates are an indie-soul quartet hailing from Essex, England.-Members:-History:Paul and Mark played in various bands whilst growing up together, including performing under the name Echelon in 2006 and as Mixed Business with Andrew Grant....
and Heartbreak
Heartbreak (band)
Heartbreak is an Italo disco, electronic, electro, synthpop, disco duo composed of Ali Renault and Sebastian Muravchix. Their music finds its strength through a juxtapose of Renault and Muravchix's respective background in Electro and Italo Disco...
. They were scheduled to perform at the Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, Reading, Oxegen
Oxegen
Oxegen is an annual music festival in Ireland held since 2004, sponsored by Heineken. As of 2007, 2008, 2009, the festival has been cited as Ireland's biggest music festival. And by 2009, the festival is cited as the greenest festival, being a 100% carbon neutral event in Ireland. It was previously...
and Leeds
Leeds Festival
Leeds Festival may refer to:*Reading and Leeds Festivals , a rock music festival in Leeds , West Yorkshire, England*Leeds Festival , European classical music festival in Leeds...
festivals as well as the Scala
Scala (club)
Scala is a nightclub in London, England, near King's Cross railway station.-History:The Scala was originally built as a cinema to the designs of H Courtney Constantine, but construction was interrupted by the First World War and it spent some time being used to manufacture aircraft parts, and as a...
, Southend Chinnerys and Coventry Kasbah venues. In July and August 2009, La Roux toured North America. The eight-city tour included performances at Osheaga Festival
Osheaga Festival
The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival is a multi-day rock festival in Montreal, Quebec, that is held annually at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène every summer. The 2006 festival attracted a crowd of around 25,000 people. The second edition was held on September 8 and 9, 2007...
, All Points West Music & Arts Festival
All Points West Music & Arts Festival
The All Points West Music & Arts Festival was an annual music and arts festival held at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. First held in August 2008, it is hosted by Goldenvoice/AEG Live events, the same company that hosts the similar annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival...
and Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
. On 23 July the group performed on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The group will return to North America for a seven-date tour in October. The group sold out their two Australian dates within minutes forcing an upgrade in venues. November will see the duo embark on an eleven-date United Kingdom and Ireland tour. La Roux gained fifth position on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Sound of 2009
Sound of... (BBC poll)
Sound of... is an annual poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. It was first conducted by the BBC News website in 2003. A top 10 list is published each January.-Winners:-Sound of 2009:...
poll. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
website featured La Roux on their new band of the day column. The Guardian also featured La Roux as one of the "Best New Acts of 2009" in January of that year. The album has been nominated for a Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
.
Sales of the group's song "In for the Kill
In for the Kill
- Personnel :*Burke Shelley - bass guitar, vocals*Tony Bourge - guitar*Pete Boot - drums-Production:*Budgie - Producer*Rodger Bain - Producer for "Crash Course In Brain Surgery"*Kingsley Ward - Engineer*Pat Maran - Engineer...
" spiked 600 percent when a version of it ("Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix") was played on the HBO show Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
in August 2010. Later that month, it was announced that an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
remix has been released in tandem with the November US tour. In October, a second video for the song was released that was shot at New York's landmark Hotel Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
. The song was released in the United States 7 October.
Second studio album
La Roux were scheduled to start writing material for their second album during Christmas 2009 at their manager's home. Jackson said that "I think there will be a natural instrument or two on there though, which will make a change from the first record." Jackson said that because of limited time "I don't think there will be anything in terms of a second record for a while."As of January 2011, La Roux were writing their second album with a somewhat established indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band whose members are friends of Jackson. Jackson told the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
that "I know I'm not going to stop writing until we've got songs that can compete on the same level as 'In For The Kill' and 'Bulletproof'".
Jackson also said that she hoped that the new album would have a rounder sexier tone. "I’d like a more sexual feel to the record, but not in a sex-in-the-club kinda way—the way sexy was before it got made dirty. Sexy can be classy, sexy can be cool, sexy can be actually sexy," she said.
Sidetracked
In July 2010, La Roux curated and mixed the latest volume of Sidetracked, a compilation series from RenaissanceRenaissance (club)
Renaissance is a British electronic dance music club brand and record label. Renaissance was started by Geoff Oakes at Venue 44 in Mansfield, England in 1992. Renaissance was Geoff Oakes' antidote to the sci-fi imagery and dressed down clubbers of the 'rave' scene .In 1993 Renaissance moved to a...
that allows artists from the electronic field free rein to showcase their musical interests. The mix eclectically features the likes of Japan
Japan (band)
Japan were a British New Wave group, formed in 1974 in Catford, South London. The band achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement .- History :The band began as a group of friends...
, Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
, Joyce Sims
Joyce Sims
Joyce Sims is an American singer-songwriter. Her biggest hit single was "Come into My Life," which reached top-10 status in both the US Billboard R&B chart and the UK Singles Chart in 1987/8....
, Fever Ray (Lead singer of The Knife
The Knife
The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...
), Doris Troy
Doris Troy
Doris Troy was an American R&B singer, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul".She was born as Doris Higginson in The Bronx, the daughter of a Barbadian Pentecostal minister. Her parents disapproved of "subversive" forms of music like rhythm & blues, so she cut her teeth singing in her father's choir...
, Tears For Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
, Gerry Rafferty
Gerry Rafferty
Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty was a Scottish singer songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", "Days Gone Down", "Night Owl", "Get It Right Next Time", and with the band Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle with You". Rafferty was born into a working-class family in...
and many more of her influences. It also includes an exclusive recording of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb", a cover Elly's been featuring in her recent live sets. Album notes, with explanations for each choice, can be found here.
Elly Jackson
Elly JacksonElly Jackson
Eleanor Kate "Elly" Jackson is an English singer-songwriter and the lead singer of the electropop duo La Roux. She is well known for her red hair and androgynous style.-Biography:...
's first interest was in folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. She was particularly interested in Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
and Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
whose music she discovered in her parents' record collection. Jackson's early musical material consisted of folk ditties influenced by Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
. Her taste in music changed during her mid-teens when she became involved in the rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
scene. She lists Gerry Rafferty
Gerry Rafferty
Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty was a Scottish singer songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", "Days Gone Down", "Night Owl", "Get It Right Next Time", and with the band Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle with You". Rafferty was born into a working-class family in...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and The Knife
The Knife
The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...
as her influences. Jackson is unhappy with what she perceives as a "normality" fashion trend among a majority of today's musical acts. Her androgynous clothing and hair style has been compared to the 1980s group A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...
. Jackson strongly opposes stylists who try to change her appearance to a more classically feminine look. Jackson does not feel that social networking
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
will help musicians' careers in the long run because it makes them too accessible at the expense of mystery and intrigue.
Jackson's mother is Trudie Goodwin
Trudie Goodwin
Trudie Goodwin is an English actress best known for playing Sergeant June Ackland in the high-profile British television police drama The Bill from 1984 to 2007. On September 7th, 2011 it was announced that Goodwin is to join the long-running soap Emmerdale...
, who rose to fame playing June Ackland on the long-running police series The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
. Her Great Grandfather is Anthony Bernard
Anthony Bernard
Anthony Bernard was an English conductor, organist, pianist and composer.-Early life:He was born Alan Charles Butler, the son of a Thames lighterman and changed his name by deed poll in 1919 according to the National Archives....
, the founder of the London Chamber Orchestra
London Chamber Orchestra
The London Chamber Orchestra ' is the longest established professional chamber orchestra in the UK. Based in London, LCO has a residency at St John's Smith Square in Westminster.-History:...
.
Ben Langmaid
Ben Langmaid is the second half of La Roux but he does not participate in the music videos or live performances with the band. Langmaid, a London-based producer and composer, has been involved with various other music projects in the past. He was a DJ through out the 1990s. He has a close association with Rollo ArmstrongRollo Armstrong
Rollo Armstrong is one half of the music producers/remixers team Rollo and Sister Bliss and is a founding member of the electronic music group Faithless.-Early life:...
of Faithless
Faithless
Faithless were a British electronica band consisting of Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo. The group is best known for their dance songs . Faithless recorded six albums. During their career they sold over 15 million records worldwide...
; the two musicians went to the same school and later collaborated as Huff & Puff in the mid 1990s, releasing the house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
single "Help Me Make It" in 1996. Langmaid also recorded as Atomic and was one half of Huff & Herb, before contributing as a songwriter to indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Kubb
Kubb (band)
Kubb are a British indie rock band from London, who had two UK top 40 hits in 2005/6 and a top 30 album. Original member Ben Langmaid went on to become half of the duo La Roux.- Biography :...
's debut album Mother
Mother (album)
Mother is the debut album of British band Kubb. It was released on 14 November 2005 in the UK on the Mercury Records label. It reached a peak of #26 the week of 13 February 2006...
, released in 2005. This project was again linked to Rollo Armstrong; Kubb's frontman Harry Collier was introduced to Langmaid after Collier sang "Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
" to Armstrong whilst working as a waiter in a North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
organic café. Langmaid turned down the offer of a permanent position in Kubb.. In 2011 Langmaid wrote material for the early 1990s R&B styled girl group "War of Words"
Supporting band members
Michael 'Mikey' Norris(Keyboard)
is a London-based musician and is one of two keyboard players that support La Roux on their tours and live dates. A native of the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
area in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Norris studied music at university, joining La Roux shortly after graduating from a music degree.
Mickey O'Brien
(Keyboards and backing vocals)
O'Brien has been playing with La Roux for eighteen months, touring Europe and North America. Although her voice is unheard on the album, she performs backing vocals during song performances; namely "Bulletproof", "As If by Magic" and "Armour Love". She is also known as Ladyburden and owns a MySpace page with her own songs. O'Brien is currently in a long-term relationship with English actor Jim Sturgess
Jim Sturgess
James Anthony "Jim" Sturgess is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His breakthrough role was appearing as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe .-Early life:...
. Mickey is also the younger cousin of Radiohead's Ed O'Brien
Ed O'Brien
Edward John O'Brien is an English musician, songwriter and guitarist for the rock band Radiohead. He is also responsible for harmony vocals during live concerts and on many tracks from the band's albums...
.
William Bowerman
(Drums)
Former drummer for I Was a Cub Scout
I Was a Cub Scout
I Was a Cub Scout was a two-man synth-pop/indie rock band from Long Bennington and Collingham, England, consisting of William Bowerman and Todd Marriott. They were formed in 2006, and split on 5 June 2008.-New Bands:...
, an indie band from Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. Current drummer for Brontide along with La Roux. In 2011, Bowerman joined Summer Camp and also stood in to play some festival dates for New Young Pony Club.
Guest appearances, Grammy and performances
On 26 January 2010, La Roux duetted with the 1980s synthpopSynthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
group Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
on the 6 Music Live Combos
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
show. Heaven 17 keyboardist Martyn Ware
Martyn Ware
Martyn "Teddy Bear" Ware is a British musician and music producer. He is the chairman of a local football team: PPA. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"...
said that he was surprised at how well his and Jackson's voices connected.
La Roux also performed at T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
Balado, Scotland, V Festival (Chelmsford and Staffordshire) and Oxegen Festival (Ireland) along with many other artists in 2010. La Roux have also been popular with music publication NME, with Jackson gracing the front cover of their 'Future 50' edition. They won the NME Award for Best Dancefloor Filler with the Skream Remix of 'In For The Kill'. They were also the only band to be featured 4 times on the NME 50 Best Tracks of 2009 list with Im Not Your Toy placed at 41, Bulletproof at 24, In For the Kill Skream Dubstep Remix at 19 and In For The Kill riding high at 8.
Elly Jackson of La Roux was the judge at the 2010 "fantasy dress" at Bestival festival
Bestival
Bestival is a four-day music festival held at the Robin Hill country park on the Isle of Wight, England. It has been held annually in late summer since 2004. The event is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial...
.
On 25 June 2010, La Roux played the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
. In addition to their own material the group dueted with Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
on Heaven 17's "Temptation
Temptation (Heaven 17 song)
"Temptation" is a single by Sheffield band Heaven 17, originally released in April 1983, peaking at number 2 in the UK charts. This was the second single to be taken from their second album The Luxury Gap, after November 1982's "Let Me Go"....
" and played a cover of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
Under my Thumb
Under My Thumb
"Under My Thumb" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for The Rolling Stones. Its first appearance was as an album track on 1966's Aftermath...
. La Roux have played Under My Thumb since early 2010, including their March tour of Australia. Elly Jackson also performed a cover version of Terence Trent D'arby's Sign Your Name
Sign Your Name
"Sign Your Name" is the name of a famous song written and performed by Terence Trent D'Arby .Released in his 1987 album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, it was an international success, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart in early 1988 and number four on the US...
with Heaven 17 at Bestival in 2010.
On 9 August 2010, Skream
Skream
Skream is a dubstep producer based in Croydon. One of dubstep's first and most prominent producers, he has played an important role in the genre's development. His debut album Skream! was released in 2006, and was followed up by Outside the Box in 2010...
released the album "Outside the Box
Outside the Box (Skream album)
Outside the Box is the second and latest album by British dubstep producer Skream, released on 9 August 2010 on Tempa records. The album features collaborations with electropop duo La Roux and American rapper Murs, amongst others...
" which features a song called "Finally" featuring La Roux.
On 31 December, La Roux appeared on the American television program Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest is a television program that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. It has been hosted by Dick Clark since its first airing on Sunday, December 31, 1972. Ryan Seacrest has been the program's co-host since the December 31, 2005 telecast...
.
In February 2011, La Roux won the Best Electronic/Dance Album Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for their self-titled debut album. Their single "In for the Kill
In for the Kill
- Personnel :*Burke Shelley - bass guitar, vocals*Tony Bourge - guitar*Pete Boot - drums-Production:*Budgie - Producer*Rodger Bain - Producer for "Crash Course In Brain Surgery"*Kingsley Ward - Engineer*Pat Maran - Engineer...
" was nominated for Best Dance Recording Elly Jackson wrote on Twitter "This is the happiest I think I've ever been". This contrasts Elly Jackson's previous comments at the 2010 NME Awards, where she lightheartedly stated that the group "rarely wins awards". Ben Langmaid stated in a post-award interview, that the day before the Grammys, the duo were rewarded with a double platinum set of discs from their record company, describing the weekend of the Grammys as "My happiest weekend ever". On the 2011 collaboration album Watch the Throne
Watch the Throne
Watch the Throne is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, released on August 8, 2011, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording locations and began in November 2010. It was...
between Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, Jackson provided vocals for the track "That's My Bitch".
Festival appearances
List of La Roux festival appearances:- Isle of Wight Festival, Newport, IOW, UK (12 June 2010)
- Coachella Festival, Indio, CA, USA (April 2010)
- Festival des Inrocks 2009, various cities, France (November 2009)
- Parklife Festival 2009, various cities, Australia (September–October 2009)
- Bestival 2009, Newport, UK (September 2009)
- Reading & Leeds Festival 2009, UK (August 2009)
- Glastonbury Festival 2009, Glastonbury, UK (June 2009)
- Glastonbury Festival 2010, Glastonbury, UK (June 2010)
- Rock Werchter 2010, Torhout, Belgium (July 2010)
- T in the Park festival 2010, Balado, Scotland (July 2010)
- Optimus Alive 2010, Lisbon, Portugal (July 2010)
- Way Out West 2010, Goteborg, Sweden (August 2010)
- All Points West 2009, Jersey City, NJ, USA (August 2009)
- V Festival, Essex and Staffordshire (August 2010)
- Bestival, Isle of Wight (September 2010)
- Burn Selector Festival, Kraków, Poland (4 June 2011)
- Terraneo Festival, Šibenik, Croatia (9 August 2011)
- Sziget-Festival, Budapest, Hungaria (11 August 2011)
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 02 Silver Clef Awards | Best Newcomer | La Roux | |
| Studio8 International Music Awards | Best Female Newcomer | Elly Jackson | ||
| Studio8 Song of July 2009 | "Bulletproof" | |||
| Mercury Prize Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British... |
– | La Roux | ||
| MTV Europe Music Awards MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider... |
Best New Act | La Roux | ||
| Best Push Artist | ||||
| Best UK & Ireland New Act | ||||
| Virgin Media Music Awards | Best Newcomer | La Roux | ||
| Best Album | La Roux | |||
| mtvU Woodie Awards | Breaking Woodie | La Roux | ||
| Q Awards Q Awards The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event... |
Breakthrough Artist | |||
| UK Festival Awards UK Festival Awards The UK Festival Awards are awarded annually, with various categories for all aspects of festivals that have taken place in the UK, and one category for European festivals. The Awards were first established in 2004, and are produced by Virtual Festivals.com. They are voted for by the public via the... |
Best Breakthrough Act | |||
| Popjustice £20 Music Prize Popjustice £20 Music Prize The Popjustice £20 Music Prize is an annual prize awarded by a panel of judges organised by music website Popjustice to the singer of the best British pop single of the past year.... |
5th | "In For The Kill" | ||
| The Record of the Year The Record of the Year The Record of the Year is an award voted by the UK public. For many years it was given in conjunction with television programmes of the same name... |
7th | "In For The Kill" | ||
| UK Music Video Awards UK Music Video Awards The UK Music Video Awards is an annual celebration of creativity, technical excellence and innovation in music video and moving image for music.... |
Best Styling in a Video | "Quicksand" | ||
| iTunes 2009 UK Music Awards | Single of the Year | "In for the Kill" | ||
| Best Art Vinyl Best Art Vinyl Best Art Vinyl is an annual award that first began in 2005. It celebrates artists and designers of vinyl record cover art. The nomination process begins in November and the winners are announced in January, and are exhibited at venues across the United Kingdom and Europe, including the O2, Rough... |
Best Art Vinyl 2009 | La Roux | 9th | |
| 2010 | Brit Awards Brit Awards The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust... |
British Breakthrough Act | La Roux | |
| British Single | "In for the Kill" | |||
| Glamour Women of the Year Awards | Band of the Year | La Roux | ||
| Sheer Infusion Newcomer | La Roux | |||
| NME Awards NME Awards The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine.... |
Best Dancefloor Filler | "In for the Kill (Skream Remix)" | ||
| Best New Band | La Roux | |||
| Best Dressed | Elly Jackson | |||
| Ivor Novello Awards Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place... |
Best Contemporary Song | "In for the Kill" | ||
| MTV Video Music Japan Awards | Best Dance Video | "Im Not Your Toy" | ||
| International Dance Music Awards | Best Underground Dance Track | "In for the Kill (Skream Remix)" | ||
| Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track | "Bulletproof" | |||
| Best Electro Track | "In for the Kill (Skream Remix)" | |||
| Best Dubstep/DNB/Jungle Track | "In for the Kill (Skream Remix)" | |||
| Best Break-Through Artist (Group) | La Roux | |||
| NewNowNext Awards NewNowNext Awards The first NewNowNext-Awards were held in 2008 by the gay and lesbian-themed network Logo.- 2008 :The nominees were announced by Cazwell and Amanda Lepore. Hosts were Candis Cayne and Colman Domingo... |
Brink of Fame: Music Artist | La Roux | ||
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | Best Dance Recording | "In for the Kill" | |
| Best Electronic/Dance Album | La Roux | |||
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Dance Artist | La Roux |