She & Him
She & Him is an American musical duo consisting of Zooey Deschanel (vocals, piano, ukulele[2]) and M. Ward (guitar, production). It was formed in 2006 in Portland, Oregon.[3] Their first album, Volume One, was released on the independent label Merge Records on March 18, 2008.[4][5] They are commonly associated with the twee, indie-folk resurgence of the mid-2000s, which music critic and professor Eric Harvey described in Stereogum as "childlike, whimsical, earnest, acoustic Starbucks-friendly music like Feist, the Decemberists, Regina Spektor, and Jose Gonzalez."[6]
Not to be confused with He and She.
She & Him
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
2006–present
History[edit]
Formation[edit]
Deschanel and Ward met on the set of the film The Go-Getter, in which Deschanel had a starring role. Martin Hynes, the director, introduced them to each other and asked them to sing a duet for the film's end credits. They performed the song "When I Get to the Border" by Richard and Linda Thompson.[7] The two bonded over a shared interest in albums produced by George Martin and Phil Spector, as well as certain Ralph Peer groups such as the Carter Family.[8]
Ward heard Deschanel sing in the film Elf. He was surprised to learn that, although she wrote songs, she hadn't pursued a career in music. Deschanel commented in an interview with Venus Zine: "I always thought I would be able to sing and act; but, at a certain point, it became difficult for me to share the music part. So I was writing a ton of music, but not really doing anything with it. I didn't really know exactly who to collaborate with until I met Matt, and everything seemed to fall into place.”[9] Deschanel had done years' worth of home demos, but she was shy about becoming a big-name celebrity.[10] On a whim, she sent them to Ward.[8] Ward called her a short time later telling her that he would like to record her songs properly. Deschanel said in an interview: "I always have loved music, ever since I was really little. I just loved to sing."[11]
