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La Roux

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This article is about the musical duo. For their eponymous album, see La Roux (album).

For the pop rock band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, please see Le Roux.

La Roux

La Roux (Template:Pron-en in English, French: [laˈʁu]) is an English electropop and synthpop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson (born 12 March 1988),[1] and keyboardist, 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 prominance, it may "look like a solo act".[2]

Their music is influenced by 1980s British synthpop including Yazoo, Erasure, Depeche Mode[3], OMD, The Human League, Heaven 17 and Blancmange[citation needed]. 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:

To me, it means "red-haired one" – and it does, vaguely. It's just a male version of "red-haired one", which I think is even cooler, because I'm... well... androgynous anyway. So it kind of makes sense.[4]

Band members

Elly Jackson

Elly Jackson'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.[5] Her taste in music changed during her mid-teens when she became involved in the rave scene. She lists Gerry Rafferty,[6] David Bowie, Madonna, Prince and The Knife[7] as her influences. Jackson is unhappy with what she perceives as a "normality" fashion trend among a majority of today's musical acts.[8][9] Her androgynous clothing and hair style, which has been compared to the 1980s group A Flock of Seagulls, is being imitated.[3][10] Jackson strongly opposes stylists who try and change her appearance to a more classically feminine look.[11] 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.[12]

Jackson's mother is Trudie Goodwin, who rose to fame playing June Ackland on the long-running police series The Bill.

Jackson and others are collaborating with Kanye West on his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy set for 22 November 2010 release. The album is a companion to West's mini movie Runaway.[13][14]

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 has a close association with Rollo Armstrong 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.[15] 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.[15] 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.[16] Langmaid turned down the offer of a permanent position in Kubb.[16]

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 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.[17] 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.[18]

William Bowerman (Drums) Former drummer for I Was a Cub Scout, an indie band from Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

Career

In 2006, Jackson and Langmaid were introduced by a mutual friend. Their first project was named "Automan" and they wrote largely acoustic music.[15]

La Roux's debut single, "Quicksand", was released by French independent record label Kitsuné Music in December 2008.[15] They then signed to Polydor Records in order to release their debut album.

"In for the Kill"
La Roux first found major success with "In for the Kill"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

La Roux's second single "In for the Kill" was released on 16 March 2009, and prominent dubstep producer Skream created a remix of the track[19] as well as one being made by Lifelike.[20] "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" was released on 21 June 2009 and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart.[21] 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 had peaked at the number 8 position on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and had sold over 1.8 million copies and her debut album had peaked at 92 with 78,000 copies sold.[22][23] The song popularity was being driven by mainstream radio airplay where it was the 11th most played single. It was also the weeks top digital gainer.[24] On 23 April their album was residing at the number 4 position on the Dance/Electronic chart[25] "I'm Not Your Toy", released on 29 September 2009,[26] reached number twenty-seven on the UK chart. On the 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.[27]

In order to promote La Roux, the band was the supporting act on Lily Allen's UK tour of March 2009.[28] La Roux headlined the Samsung NME Radar Tour 2009 and played alongside Magistrates and Heartbreak.[29] They were scheduled to perform at the Glastonbury, Reading, Oxegen and Leeds festivals as well as the Scala, Southend Chinnerys and Coventry Kasbah venues.[21][30] 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 the Lollapalooza event.[31] On 23 July the group performed on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[32] The group will return to North America for a seven-date tour in October.[33] The group sold out their two Australian dates within minutes forcing an upgrade in venues.[34] November will see the duo embark on an eleven-date United Kingdom and Ireland tour.[35] La Roux gained fifth position on the BBC Sound of 2009 poll.[36] The Guardian website featured La Roux on their new band of the day column.[37] The Guardian also featured La Roux as one of the "Best New Acts of 2009" in January of that year.[2] The album has been nominated for a Mercury Prize.[38]

La Roux are scheduled to start writing material for their second album during Christmas 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."[39]

La Roux have received 2010 BRIT Award nominations in the categories of British Breakthrough Act and British Single for "In for the Kill".[40]

On 26 January 2010, La Roux duetted with the 1980s synthpop 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.[41]

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.

During a gig in Perth, Australia the lights on the stage collapsed nearly hitting Mickey O'Brien[42] after a lightning strike. By the end of March, Jackson was concerned about a sore throat that she blamed on months of singing.[43] In April 2010, the group played the Coachella Festival where women loudly sung along to "Bulletproof".[44]

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.[45]

La Roux will be the judge at the 2010 "fantasy dress" at the Bestival festival.[46]

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.[47] La Roux have played Under My Thumb since early 2010, including their March tour of Australia.

In July 2010, La Roux curated and mixed the latest volume of Sidetracked, a compilation series from Renaissance 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.

For several months while touring in 2010 Jackson struggled with bronchitis. After Jackson contracted pharyngitis following the group's July show in Los Angeles La Roux was forced to postpone the remainder of the US tour.[48] A new 11 date United States East Coast tour has been announced for November 2010.[49]

Sales of the group's song "In for the Kill" spiked 600 percent when it was played on the HBO show Entourage in August 2010. Later that month, it was announced that an EP remix will be released in tandem with the November US tour.[50] 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.[51]

Discography

Main article: La Roux discography

Festival Appearances

List of La Roux festival appearances [52][53]

  • Isle of Wight Festival, Newport, IOW, UK (12 June 2010)
  • Coachella Festival, Indio, CA, USA (April 2010) [52]
  • Festival des Inrocks 2009, various cities, France (November 2009) [52]
  • Parklife Festival 2009, various cities, Australia (September-October 2009) [52]
  • Bestival 2009, Newport, UK (September 2009) [52]
  • Reading & Leeds Festival 2009, UK (August 2009) [52]
  • Glastonbury Festival 2009, Glastonbury, UK (June 2009)[52]
  • Glastonbury Festival 2010, Glastonbury, UK (June 2010) [52]
  • Rock Werchter 2010, Torhout, Belgium (July 2010)
  • T in the Park festival 2010, Balado, Scotland (July 2010) [52]
  • Optimus Alive 2010 , Lisbon , Portugal (July 2010)
  • Way Out West 2010, Goteborg, Sweden (August 2010)

Awards

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2009 O2 Silver Clef Awards Best Newcomer La Roux Won[54]
Studio8 International Music Awards Best Female Newcomer Elly Jackson Won
Studio8 Song of July 2009 "Bulletproof" Won
Mercury Prize — La Roux Nominated[38]
MTV Europe Music Awards Best New Act La Roux Nominated
Best Push Artist Nominated
iTunes 2009 UK Music Awards Single of the Year "In for the Kill" Won
Best Art Vinyl Best Art Vinyl 2009 La Roux 9th[55]
2010 Brit Awards British Breakthrough Act La Roux Nominated
British Single "In for the Kill" Nominated
NME Awards Best Dancefloor Filler "In for the Kill (Skream Remix)" Won
Best New Band La Roux Nominated
Worst Dressed Elly Jackson Nominated
Ivor Novello Awards Best Contemporary Song "In for the Kill" Nominated[56]

References

  1. ^ "La Roux Biography". Stars and Celebrities. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  2. ^ a b Lovell, Rebecca (18 January 2009). "The Best New Acts of 2009: La Roux". The Guardian. London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
  3. ^ a b Lester, Paul (24 September 2009). "La Roux: 'Of course Lady Gaga's not my thing'". The Guardian. London.]
  4. ^ "Interview with La Roux ahead of Nottingham date on the NME Tour". Nottingham Evening Post. 24 April 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  5. ^ Breaking: La Roux Rolling Stone Magazine 4 November 2009
  6. ^ Elly Jackson: 'It's not just being catchy' The Independent 19 May 2010
  7. ^ Et intervju med La Roux
  8. ^ Day, Elizabeth (19 April 2009). "Pop's new wave: quirky, stylish girls fashioned from the 80s". The Observer. London. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  9. ^ Dingwall, John (1 May 2009). "A Girl Named Roux Leads 80s Revival; Electropop Trendsetter Recaptures the Style of New Romantics for A New Generation of Music Fans". California Chronicle. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  10. ^ N-Dubz hit out at 'bitter' La Roux BBC 1 October 2009
  11. ^ La Roux takes its best shot 14 July 2010
  12. ^ In a minute with musician La Roux The Times 6 December 2009
  13. ^ Kanye West announces La Roux, Jay-Z, MIA will feature on new album NME 7 October 2010
  14. ^ Kanye West Adds M.I.A., La Roux And Alicia Keys To Album MTV 7 October 7 2010
  15. ^ a b c d Phares, Heather (2009). "La Roux Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  16. ^ a b O'Brien, Jon (2009). "Kubb Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  17. ^ Ladyburden's MySpace
  18. ^ "JIM STURGESS PERFORMS WITH LA ROUX « JIM STURGESS ONLINE: An Interactive Multimedia Site for Jim Sturgess Fans". Jimsturgessonline.com. 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  19. ^ Grundy, Gareth (15 March 2009). "Electronic review: La Roux, In for the Kill (Skream remix)". The Guardian. London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  20. ^ "La Roux - In for the Kill (Lifelike remix)". Kitsuné Music. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  21. ^ a b La Roux to play London Scala NME 1 June 2009
  22. ^ US sales improve, but nothing to boast about Musicweek 11 June 2010
  23. ^ http://www.shockhound.com/features/1368-la-roux--in-for-the-kill--with-november-tour-plans]
  24. ^ Chart Moves: Miley Cyrus, Muse, 'Glee,' Christina Aguilera and More Billboard 27 May, 2010
  25. ^ Billboard Chart Listing La Roux
  26. ^ La Roux announce new single details NME 13 August 2009
  27. ^ Publié par Stéphane Brunet (2004-03-01). "Infos, exclus, découvertes: La Roux - As if by magic, nouveau single". Hall Musique. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  28. ^ "La Roux To Support Lily Allen On UK Tour". Gigwise.com. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  29. ^ "La Roux to headline 2009 Samsung NME Radar Tour". NME. 3 March 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  30. ^ La Roux, Marmaduke Duke, Big Pink for Reading And Leeds Festivals NME 9 June 2009
  31. ^ La Roux announce North American tour NME 19 June 2009
  32. ^ Thursday's Talk Shows Los Angeles Times 23 July 2009
  33. ^ La Roux plot North American tour NME 26 August 2009
  34. ^ LA ROUX shows sold out - venues upgraded to meet demand! Altsounds 26 August 2009
  35. ^ La Roux Announces Massive Autumn UK Tour Festivalwise 8 July 2009
  36. ^ Youngs, Ian (5 January 2009). "BBC Sound of 2009: La Roux". BBC News. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  37. ^ Lester, Paul (19 November 2008). "New band of the day – No 433: La Roux". The Guardian. London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  38. ^ a b Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2009: nominees announce NME 21 July 2009
  39. ^ La Roux to begin work on second album NME 27 November 2009
  40. ^ Lily Allen, Lady Gaga Up For BRIT Awards Billboard 18 January 2010
  41. ^ Roux - Heaven 17 love-in BBC6 27 January 2010
  42. ^ "La Roux Perth concert review". Perth Now. 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  43. ^ La Roux sing on despite tough times on tour Sydney Morning Herald 28 March 2010
  44. ^ Other Thoughts From Coachella on Friday The New York Times 17 April 2010
  45. ^ La Roux take 2009 by storm NME
  46. ^ La Roux to judge 'fantasy dress' at Bestival plus New Young Pony Club, Errors, Zero 7 and Bestival Residents efestivals 31 March 2010
  47. ^ La Roux singer duets with Heaven 17 star at Glastonbury NME 25 June 2010
  48. ^ UPDATE: La Roux's Culture Room Show Rescheduled for November 1 Broward New Times 29 July 2010
  49. ^ La Roux Announce U.S. Headlining Tour MTV 25 August 2010
  50. ^ La Roux to Tour the U.S. Spin 25 August 2010
  51. ^ La Roux goes to New York to revitalize In For The Kill MTV 8 October
  52. ^ a b c d e f g h i "La Roux". Fanshake. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  53. ^ "La Roux Festival Appearances". La Roux. FanShake. Retrieved 2010-05-14. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  54. ^ Take That, Madness Win Silver Clefs Billboard Business News 4 July 2009
  55. ^ "Muse, Florence and the Machine and Laroux among best record sleeves of 2009". The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  56. ^ Lily Allen, Dizzee Rascal Up For Ivor Novello Awards Billboard 20 April 2010


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