LiLi Roquelin
Encyclopedia
LiLi Roquelin is a French-born American trip-hop and alternative rock
singer-songwriter from Astoria, Queens
. Roquelin is most notable for her songs, "I Saw You", which won Best Music Video at several film festivals in 2008 and 2009, "Blues Alone", "Should you get mad".
band Hate Dies Hard, and released an album with them entitled Neverending Sundown in 2006 (The band had put out three releases from 1996 to 2003. However, Roquelin was not part of the band then).
After the album’s release, Roquelin was introduced to producer Sean Bilovecky, who helped to infuse the sounds of trip-hop with her piano compositions. They co-wrote the song, "I Saw You" together, which was later included in her self-titled EP and became a winner for Best Music Video at the Queens Film Festival in November 2008 and Best Music Video at the 2009 Indie Gathering Film Festival. After Roquelin and Bilovecky wrote the song, Roquelin moved to Washington Heights
, Manhattan
,
Roquelin recruited Marc Urselli, a three-time Grammy Award
winning engineer to mix and master the recordings from her EP and launched an online fundraiser to help cover the expenses of the EP, a recording of down-tempo, trip-hop songs with Roquelin moving between English and French accompanied by the piano. "Blues Alone" received an Honorable Mention at the 2009 John Lennon Songwriting Contest
.
Roquelin released a full-length album Will you hate the rest of the world or will you renew your life? and a music video for Should you get mad in February 2010. The video was directed by Arnaud Muller (U2
) at RNO Pictures and was in the official selection of ZFF Film Festival (London, Miami, LA). It received the award of 2nd Place for Best Music Video in pop category at the 2010 Indie Gathering Film Festival and Convention. The album also includes a cover of Danny Elfman
's “Sally’s Song” (from Tim Burton
's The Nightmare Before Christmas
) in French.
She has played various venues including The Bitter End
in NYC.
Lifetime (TV network)'s Show Dance Moms
used LiLi Roquelin’s song "Renew" for a dance routine entitled "Sinful" (season 1, episode 9, first air-date 09/07/11).
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
singer-songwriter from Astoria, Queens
Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
. Roquelin is most notable for her songs, "I Saw You", which won Best Music Video at several film festivals in 2008 and 2009, "Blues Alone", "Should you get mad".
Biography
Roquelin grew up in the south of France, learning music from her multi-instrumentalist father when she was four years old. She played several gigs as a teenager, both solo and in various bands. She then left France to pursue a career in the United States when she felt the music education in France was too conservative for her and how the country’s music industry seemed to favor French DJs over live singer-songwriters. She first moved to Cleveland, Ohio and fronted Phizzy Lager and then the hard-rock Kent, OhioKent, Ohio
Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
band Hate Dies Hard, and released an album with them entitled Neverending Sundown in 2006 (The band had put out three releases from 1996 to 2003. However, Roquelin was not part of the band then).
After the album’s release, Roquelin was introduced to producer Sean Bilovecky, who helped to infuse the sounds of trip-hop with her piano compositions. They co-wrote the song, "I Saw You" together, which was later included in her self-titled EP and became a winner for Best Music Video at the Queens Film Festival in November 2008 and Best Music Video at the 2009 Indie Gathering Film Festival. After Roquelin and Bilovecky wrote the song, Roquelin moved to Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
,
Roquelin recruited Marc Urselli, a three-time 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...
winning engineer to mix and master the recordings from her EP and launched an online fundraiser to help cover the expenses of the EP, a recording of down-tempo, trip-hop songs with Roquelin moving between English and French accompanied by the piano. "Blues Alone" received an Honorable Mention at the 2009 John Lennon Songwriting Contest
John Lennon Songwriting Contest
The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, named for the former member of The Beatles, is a songwriting competition for songwriters, open to amateurs and professionals. The contest accepts instrumental pieces as well as songs with a vocal component. Though all entries must include a CD, cassette, or...
.
Roquelin released a full-length album Will you hate the rest of the world or will you renew your life? and a music video for Should you get mad in February 2010. The video was directed by Arnaud Muller (U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
) at RNO Pictures and was in the official selection of ZFF Film Festival (London, Miami, LA). It received the award of 2nd Place for Best Music Video in pop category at the 2010 Indie Gathering Film Festival and Convention. The album also includes a cover of Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
's “Sally’s Song” (from Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas, often promoted as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, is a 1993 stop motion musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from "Halloween Town" who opens a portal to...
) in French.
She has played various venues including The Bitter End
The Bitter End
The Bitter End is a nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened its doors in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to The Other End during the 1970s...
in NYC.
Lifetime (TV network)'s Show Dance Moms
Dance Moms
Dance Moms is an American reality television series that debuted on the Lifetime TV network on July 13, 2011. Created by Collins Avenue Productions, it is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Abby Lee Dance Company, and follows children's early careers in dance show business along with their...
used LiLi Roquelin’s song "Renew" for a dance routine entitled "Sinful" (season 1, episode 9, first air-date 09/07/11).
Albums
- Neverending Sundown (with Hate Dies Hard) (2006)
- Will you hate the rest of the world or will you renew your life? (2010)
External links
- Official website
- LiLi Roquelin at MySpace
- LiLi Roquelin at YouTube