3 Lovely Ladies You Should Get To Know: Lykke Li, Lissie, & La Roux
I love to share the gift of music with my fellow humans, and these lovely ladies that follow definitely know how to rock the mic. My musical tastes are diverse, so I can always find something out there in Musicland that deserves listening to.
Sit back, relax, and prepare to experience some of the best music the 21st century has to offer so far....
Lykke Li
Lykke Li, a Swedish singer-songwriter and soprano, was born Li Lykke Timotej Svensson Zachrisson in Ystad on March 16, 1986. Her music combines elements of pop, electronic, and indie rock, and uses a plethora of instruments including violins, cellos, trumpets, saxophones, and synthesizers.
Youth Novels, her debut album, was released in 2008, while her second album Wounded Rhymes was released in 2011. Many of her tracks have been included in a number of TV shows and films.
If you're familiar with the lovely Lykke Li at all, it is most likely due to her hit single Get Some, which is more about demonstrating power in a male dominated industry than about sexuality.
This Is My Time
"Because you’re a woman, the music industry puts you in another corner. I want to be fighting with the men. I want to be amongst the men, topless, throwing things." - Lykke Li
Her messages aren't always as heady as Get Some's lyrics suggest. She sings often of her love of dance, the seemingly endless search for love, and the youthful boredom we all wish we could relive. If you like what you've heard so far, then check out these phenomenal Lykke Li tracks:
- Youth Knows No Pain
- Love Out Of Lust
- Unrequited Love
- I Know Places
- Let It Fall
- Breaking It Up
- Little Bit
- I Follow Rivers
- The Only
- Everybody But Me
...and my personal favorite below, I'm Good I'm Gone, which is also one of the smoothest music videos ever filmed! (Also, this Little Bit remix is worth checking out!)
Butter For My Piece Of Bun
Lykke Li released her third studio album I Never Learn on May 2, 2014. Before the official release, a remix of No Rest For The Wicked featuring ASAP Rocky was released and later appeared on a remix EP called No Rest For The Wicked.
Only Love Remains
Lissie
American folk artist Elisabeth Maurus, more commonly known by her stage name Lissie, was born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois in 1982.
Her debut EP, Why You Runnin', was released in 2009 and her debut album, Catching a Tiger, was released in June of 2010 - and she's been touring ever since.
Her second single, When I'm Alone, was released alongside her album and would later be chosen by iTunes UK as the 2010 song of the year. If you've heard of Lissie before today, it's because of this single.
You Make Me Feel
Lissie's voice lends itself perfectly to folk music, but she has a much wider range. She's worked with Lenny Kravitz, and covered great artists like Lady Gaga, Led Zeppelin, Metallica and Fleetwood Mac.
After appearing on the Great British Songbook on August 31, 2010, Simon Mayo described the performance of her cover of Stairway to Heaven as "breathtaking." If you like When I'm Alone, you will surely love these quality Lissie tracks.
Released on October 8, 2013, Back To Forever marks Lissie's second studio album.
AllMusic gave the new album 4 out of 5 stars, writing:
"Lissie's strength is how she uses the past as foundation, not aspiration, and that's why Back to Forever is a lithe, unpredictable, and seductive collection of modern pop: it places equal emphasis on song and sound."
Sample the new album below, right now!
Does Anyone Love Anyone Anymore?
La Roux
French for "the red," La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Elly 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 recognizes that due to her prominence, it may "look like a solo act," according to Wikipedia.
La Roux's second single, In For The Kill, starts off their self-titled album with a bang, and paves the way for a fantastic disc full of electropop delights.
Let's Be Cold To Create Heat
Skrillex would later remix In For The Kill, thus helping La Roux find their way into the headphones and speakers of new fans across the world.
However, it was the Bulletproof single that would help cement La Roux's elite status in America. It was released on August 11, 2009, and topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart the week of September 17 - in addition to getting massive playtime on radio stations across the world.
There are plenty of other fantastic La Roux tracks worth giving a listen, like....
La Roux's second studio album, Trouble in Paradise, was released on July 21, 2014. Give the album's first single a listen below!
Let Me Down Gently
All three of these lovely ladies are worth spending some time with - keep an eye out for their new albums, because these talented artists will be around for years to come.
