Dragonette is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. Originally an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005, the band consisted of Sorbara with her husband Dan Kurtz as bassist and producer (also in The New Deal) and drummer Joel Stouffer. Dragonette released a self-titled EP in 2005 before being signed to Mercury Records and relocating to London, where they recorded and released their debut studio album, '' Galore'', in August 2007 to moderate critical appreciation. A second studio album, '' Fixin to Thrill'', was released in September 2009. The group's third studio album, '' Bodyparts'', was released in September 2012 and their fourth, ''Royal Blues'', followed in November 2016. They performed as a group until 2016, when both Kurtz and Stouffer left the band, with Sorbara continuing under the Dragonette moniker as a solo act. Dragonette's fifth album, ''Twennies'' (and the first as a solo act) was released in October 2022.

History

2005–2008: Formation and ''Galore''

Sorbara and Kurtz met at a Canadian music festival and formed a duo named The Fuzz, making music together in their basement recording studio for fun. The duo formed Dragonette after these initial recordings, and supported New Order on only their second live performance. In 2005, the band released the six-track '' Dragonette EP'', prior to signing a record deal with UK record label Mercury Records. Dragonette relocated to London to record their debut studio album, '' Galore'', released on August 6, 2007, and toured the UK supporting local acts, including

Basement Jaxx Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first rose to popularity in the underground house scene ...

(with whom Sorbara also recorded the track "Take Me Back to Your House") and Sugababes and played headline gigs in small venues across the UK and Canada. British musician Will Stapleton replaced Simon Craig on guitar following the relocation. Dragonette filmed two music videos, one for "Jesus Doesn't Love Me" and another for "

I Get Around "I Get Around" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys and the opening track from their 1964 album '' All Summer Long''. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the autobiographical lyrics describe the group's reaction to their newfound f ...

". The former video leaked onto the Internet, while the other served as promotion for their first single release. "I Get Around" reached number 92 on the UK Singles Chart. A follow-up single release, " Take It Like a Man", fared no better, failing to enter the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart. "I Get Around" was released in the band's home country of Canada where it outperformed the UK release, peaking at number 57 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

. After ''Galore'' failed to sell as expected, Dragonette parted ways with Mercury Records. Dragonette received a nomination for New Group of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2008. Kurtz and Sorbara co-wrote and co-produced the song "Grab a Hold" for Cyndi Lauper's 2008 album '' Bring Ya to the Brink''. That same year Will James Stapleton left the band, to be replaced by Chris Huggett.

2009–2011: ''Fixin to Thrill'' and collaborations

Dragonette's second studio album, '' Fixin to Thrill'', was released on September 29, 2009. The album was nominated for Dance Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2011. Dragonette have collaborated with several

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

DJs for releases, to varying degrees of success. Although

's 2006 song "Take Me Back to Your House" only featured Sorbara on vocals, it was promoted by the band as a Dragonette collaborative. The band have since recorded several tracks with French DJ Martin Solveig, including " Boys & Girls" in 2009, " Hello" in 2010, and "Can't Stop" and " Big in Japan" in 2011; all of these tracks appear on Solveig's 2011 album '' Smash''. Solveig and Dragonette won the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Dance Recording of the Year for "Hello" in April 2012. In 2010, the band also collaborated with Kaskade on "

Fire in Your New Shoes "Fire in Your New Shoes" is the second single from ''Dynasty'', an album by American house DJ Kaskade. It features the lead singer from Dragonette, Martina Sorbara. It was released digitally on April 13, 2010. "Fire in Your New Shoes" was also fe ...

" and with Don Diablo on "

Animale "Animale" is a song performed by electronic music DJ and producer Don Diablo featuring Canadian electropop group Dragonette. As of 2010, the song has reached #2 on the Flanders Ultratip Ultratop is an organization which generates and publish ...

". A

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single containing the songs "Our Summer" and "Volcano" was released digitally on July 27, 2010. On August 3, 2010, Dragonette released the compilation album '' Mixin to Thrill'' digitally, while a limited-edition CD was sold via the band's online store. The compilation contains three new songs—"Volcano", "Our Summer", and "My Things"—as well as several remixes from the previous year. In 2011, Dragonette worked with Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts, co-writing and producing the single " Lucky Day" for her debut solo album ''

Cinderella's Eyes ''Cinderella's Eyes'' is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on 23 September 2011 by Polydor Records. As a member of the British girl group Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with t ...

''.

2012–2013: ''Bodyparts''

On June 21, 2012, Dragonette announced the title of their third studio album, '' Bodyparts'', which was released on September 22, 2012. The album's lead single " Let It Go" was released on April 2, 2012. "Rocket Ship", a track from the album, was made available as a free download on the band's official SoundCloud page. The album's second single, " Live in This City", was released on August 7, 2012. In February 2013, Dragonette recorded a version of "Won't You Be My Neighbour?", the theme song to the American children's television series '' Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', for use in Target Canada's first ad campaign.

2014–2017: ''Royal Blues''

In 2014, Dragonette collaborated with Dutch producer and DJ

Mike Mago Michiel Thomassen, stage name Mike Mago, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and record label owner. Biography In 2010, Mago founded independent dance label BMKLTSCH RCRDS in his hometown of Utrecht, releasing EPs from electronic artists such as Mason. ...

on the single "

Outlines Outline or outlining may refer to: * Outline (list), a document summary, in hierarchical list format * Code folding, a method of hiding or collapsing code or text to see content in outline form * Outline drawing, a sketch depicting the outer edge ...

". The band also released the single "Let the Night Fall" on June 16, 2015. The band's fourth studio album, ''Royal Blues'', was released on November 11, 2016. During the promotion of ''Royal Blues'', Sorbara and Kurtz revealed that they had separated in 2013, shortly after performing at the ET Canada New Year's Eve Show.

2020-present: Solo singles and ''Twennies''

In October 2020, Dragonette released cover version of Sam Roberts Band song "We're All In This Together". In 2021, Dragonette featured on a number of singles including "Phantom" with Gianni Kosta; "Summer Thing" with Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano; and "Slow Song" with The Knocks. In August 2022, Dragonette released "New Suit", which would become the lead single from her fifth album ''Twennies'', released in October 2022.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Promotional singles

Guest appearances

Music videos

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2005 establishments in Ontario Canadian dance music groups Canadian musical trios Canadian new wave musical groups Canadian synthpop groups Dance-rock musical groups Electropop groups Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year winners Mercury Records artists Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups from Toronto