* En anglais uniquement
Juliette Commagere rose to regional prominence as the frontwoman of
Hello Stranger, an L.A-based indie band with a penchant for indie rock song structures and keytar solos, before pursuing a solo career in 2008. Raised in Los Angeles by her piano-playing father and ranchera-singing mother, she was surrounded by music at an early age.
Commagere also took influence from
Ry Cooder, the father of her high school sweetheart (and future bandmate)
Joachim Cooder. After logging several years alongside the younger
Cooder in
Hello Stranger (whose music won the band an international tour alongside
the Foo Fighters),
Commagere opted to chase her own dreams as a solo artist. She lent her alto vocals to albums by
Puscifer and
Avenged Sevenfold, but it was
Commagere's solo debut,
Queens Die Proudly, that turned the most heads. Released in 2008, the album eschewed the rock-based songs of her former band for a blend of lush orchestrations and pop-art soundscapes. ~ Andrew Leahey