Lilly Wood and The Prick

With a name intended to "reflect the transition from childhood to adulthood," Lilly Wood & the Prick are a French duo whose fusion of electro, folk, new wave, and funk with simplistic poetic lyrics has earmarked them as one of the country's most enchanting pop acts. Formed in 2006, French-Israeli vocalist Nili Hadida and Parisian guitarist Benjamin Cotto met through a mutual friend outside a cafe, and sparked such a creative bond that they began writing songs together almost immediately. In 2008, their MySpace-uploaded cover version of Santigold's "L.E.S. Artistes" attracted the attention of singer/songwriter Pierre Guimard, who released their debut EP, Lilly Who and the What?, through his Choke Industry label a year later. Inspired by the '80s Gallic pop of Etienne Daho and Michel Delpech, guitarists J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton, and the '60s soul of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, their first full-length album, Invincible Friends, was released in 2010 and spawned three hit singles ("Down the Drain," "This Is a Love Song," "My Best") and soundtracks to ad campaigns for Virgin Radio and Guerlain, and went on to win the Revelation of the Public award at the 2011 Les Victoires de la Musique. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi