Metric

Founded in Toronto in 1998, Metric is a four-piece electronic band known for their downtempo music with driving drum beats that is both danceable and introspective. Their unique sound results from layering catchy melodies and edgy lyrics sung prettily in lead singer Emily Haines' distinctive, airy soprano voice.

The band got big breaks when their songs were used in several high-profile media ventures. "Grow Up and Blow Away" was used in a Polaroid commercial; "Gold Guns Girls" was used in the documentary Miss Representation and in several television shows; "Eclipse (All Yours)" was used in the Twilight series; and "Black Sheep" was used in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Nominated for a Grammy Award in 2011, the Twilight soundtrack landed Metric on the Academy Award nomination short list for the theme song they co-wrote with composer Howard Shore.

Haines attended Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto with Broken Social Scene bandmates Amy Millan and Kevin Drew, each of whom went on to have successful solo careers. Haines met James Shaw in Toronto, and they then moved the band to be based in Montreal in the late 1990s, before relocating to New York City. Shaw was born in the United Kingdom, and studied music in Boston and in New York City, at Julliard. For years, Metric band members shared a loft apartment in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn with fellow indie rockers in the bands Liars, Stars, TV on the Radio, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.