Phoebe Killdeer, lead vocalist of Phoebe Killdeer & the Short Straws, first gained attention in 2004 when she lent her voice to ’80s pop ballads and reprises of new wave classics for the group Nouvelle Vague. She was featured as a vocalist on several tracks on the second Nouvelle Vague album, Bande à Part, and toured widely with the group. Before covering songs with Nouvelle Vague or working with the Short Straws, Killdeer offered up her singing skills to several prominent electronic artists, including Zero dB for their track “Sunshine Lazy” and Basement Jaxx, with whom she performed the song “Tonight” for their Kish Kash album.