La Roux

La Roux roughly means "red-haired one" in French. But this is a duo, not just a front for sharp, ginger-tressed lead singer Elly Jackson. Jackson and her bandmate Ben Langmaid met through mutual friends in 2006. Each brought a distinctive musical background to the table: Jackson was raised on folk artists like Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell (and in fact, La Roux started out making acoustic music under the name Automan). Meanwhile, Langmaid was a music scene veteran, having done much of his earlier work with best friend Rollo Armstrong (Faithless mastermind and brother of Dido). After working for a number of years to hone their aesthetic and their debut, La Roux settled on a sleek '80s synth-pop style. A handful of buzz-worthy singles ("Quicksand," "In for the Kill" and "Bulletproof") preceded the duo's debut, which dropped in June 2009.