Phoenix

Phoenix don't have a permanent drummer or keyboard player. They use session and touring musicians to fill those roles, although members of the group often play keyboards on their recordings.

Phoenix formed in Paris but sing in English and have a very American sound, which owes to their influences: singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, and innovators like Michael Jackson and Prince. They had no interest in traditional French music.

All four members, along with their manager, lived together in Paris for three years leading up to their debut album, United, in 2000. Friends since childhood, they agreed that if they hadn't succeeded in music by the time they were 35, they'd pack it in and get proper jobs. Luckily, they didn't have to: The album got some attention in France, and their next two expanded their reach. When they put out their fourth album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in 2009, they went international with the hits "1901" and "Lisztomania."