Heloise & The Savoir Faire

One part theatrical pop, one part post-punk revival, New York's electro-rock outfit Heloise & the Savior Faire are fronted by charismatic peroxide-blonde singer Heloise Williams. Ever the showboat, she grew up in a small town in Minnesota with a penchant for performing, starting when she was just a child singing in the mirror while watching Solid Gold episodes. While attending Middlebury College in Vermont, she sang and played flute with an 11-piece jazz band for four years. After school, she moved out to New York City with dancers Joe Shepard and Sara Sweet Rabidoux and big dreams of stardom. Early club gigs involved the three dancing in front of a laptop computer in outrageous costumes, inspired by Peaches, whom Heloise had briefly worked for as a roadie. Over time, she decided to bring in some live musicians and invited her boyfriend, guitarist James Bellizia to join, along with drummer Luke Hughett and bassist Jason Diamond. As they gained a following, small labels and producers started to make offers. Ultimately the band's breakthrough success came from a few chance celebrity encounters. Actor Elijah Wood gave them a deal on his up-and-coming record label, Simian Records, boasting the opportunity for complete artistic freedom. After they signed, Wood got them a spot on The Graham Norton Show, gaining them quite a bit of popularity in the U.K. with their OK Go-style choreographed dance routine. Heloise's most humbling moment came soon after, when her hero, Debbie Harry approached her at a Knitting Factory show and asked for her autograph. This exchange blossomed into a friendship and eventually led to the Blondie singer appearing on their record Trash, Rats and Microphones, released in 2008.