Elly Jackson
| La Roux | |
|---|---|
La Roux's Elly Jackson performing at Piccadilly Gardens in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Automan |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | laroux |
| Members | Elly Jackson |
| Past members | Ben Langmaid |
La Roux (/lɑːˈruː/ lah-ROO) is an English synthpop act formed in 2006 by singer Eleanor "Elly" Jackson and record producer Ben Langmaid. Their debut album La Roux (2009) was a critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy Award and producing hit singles such as "In for the Kill" and "Bulletproof". Recording of a follow-up album was marred by unsuccessful collaborations, the cancellation of two planned release dates, and reported conflict between the duo. Langmaid ultimately left the group, and Jackson released a second album, Trouble in Paradise, in 2014, maintaining the former duo's name.
In 2006, Jackson and Langmaid were introduced by a mutual friend. Their first project was named "Automan" and they wrote largely acoustic music due to Jackson's great admiration of acts like Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell. Her interest later shifted to electronic music, drawing inspiration from acts such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. 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'".
La Roux's debut single, "Quicksand", 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 and 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 the Billboard Hot 100 and had sold over 2.0 million copies. The band's debut album, La Roux, peaked at 70 on the Billboard 200 and at number four 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, Jackson 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, and on 15 July 2010, she uploaded a behind-the-scenes preview of the music video for "Tigerlily" on YouTube discussing its theme. However, neither "As If By Magic" nor "Tigerlily" were ever issued as singles, and the full "Tigerlily" video also remains unreleased.
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