Yelle

French dance-pop group Yelle were founded in 2005 when longtime friends Julie Budet (who took the stage name Yelle) and Jean-François Perrier (known as GrandMarnier) decided it was time to start a band. Their first single, "Short Dick Cuizi," a rather obvious slam of French rapper Cuizinier, was posted on MySpace in 2005 and became a minor sensation. After some lyrical adjustments and a title change (to "Je Veux Te Voir"), the song became the duo's first official single in 2006 and became a Top Five hit in France. After adding Tanguy Destable, also known as Tepr, the trio began work on its debut album. Pop Up was released by Source Records in 2007. The band then spent time touring before work on its second album began. They also found time to work with Robyn and Crookers, and to remix Katy Perry's "Hot & Cold." After working virtually nonstop for two years on album number two, Safari Disco Club was released in the spring of 2011 on V2 and Downtown Records. On their third album, Yelle slimmed down to the duo of Budet and Perrier, while signing to Kemosabe records. Though it was a little more focused than previous efforts, 2014's Complètement Fou was still imbued with a fun-loving, anything-goes left-field pop outlook. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi