Femme Fatale was an American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band. Originally from

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, the band moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and released one studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

before disbanding. Lead vocalist, Lorraine Lewis, restarted the band in 2013 with an all-female line-up.

History

Formation and disbandment (1987–1990)

Femme Fatale was formed in 1987 in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States. Later on that year, the band moved to

and signed a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with MCA Records after a well-received showcase. The band's self-titled debut album, released in 1988, peaked at No. 141 on the ''

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

'' the following year.

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

gave heavy airplay to the

videos Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

for "Waiting for the Big One" and "Falling in and out of Love" (not the same song as the

Lita Ford Lita Rossana Ford (born 19 September 1958) is an English-born American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, before embarking on a successful glam metal solo ...

one of the same name), the band's two signature songs. The airplay helped the album to sell nearly 225,000 copies, but Femme Fatale was unable to match the popularity of other bands in the

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam r ...

scene. The band saw their status at MCA shrink and the band's manager, Andrea Accardo, developed a rare brain cancer. Shortly after touring the world in support of

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

, recording was to commence on a new studio album, but ultimately it was not completed and the band dissolved in 1990.

Post breakup (1990–2013)

Since leaving Femme Fatale, Lorraine Lewis recorded a few modestly successful solo albums in

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

, and other

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

genres. Lewis competed on MTV's ''

Remote Control In electronics, a remote control (also known as a remote or clicker) is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such as ...

'' in 1988, against Britny Fox's Dizzy Dean Davidson and

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

Charlie Benante Charles Lee Benante (born November 27, 1962) is an American musician best known as the drummer for thrash metal band Anthrax, and crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death. Alongside rhythm guitarist and band leader Scott Ian, Benante has co ...

, who won. Guitarist Mazzi Rawd left the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

and went on to get his PhD in Physics. Guitarist Bill D'Angelo died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in 2005, aged 43. The ''

Albuquerque Tribune ''The Albuquerque Tribune'' was an afternoon newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 1922 by Carlton Cole Magee as ''Magee's Independent''. It was published in the afternoon and evening Monday through Saturday. Scott Ware served as ed ...

'' reported on March 26, 2006, that D'Angelo's death was due to

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

misuse. In later years,

satellite radio Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a ''broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than ter ...

and

VH1 Classic MTV Classic (formerly VH1 Smooth, VH1 Classic Rock, and VH1 Classic) is an American pay television network owned by Paramount Media Networks. It was originally launched in 1998 as VH1 Smooth, an adult contemporary and smooth jazz channel. It w ...

gave the band's two signature songs a new life, with display on VH1 Classic's

Metal Mania ''Metal Mayhem'' (formerly ''Metal Mania'' or ''Headbangers'') is a block of classic heavy metal/ hard rock music videos that first aired on VH1 Classic. The series originally featured music videos from 1970s to early 1990s, but since VH1 Classi ...

and the two main satellite networks' 1980s-themed stations.

All-female lineup (2013–present)

In 2013 Lorraine Lewis reformed the band with a new line-up consisting of Courtney Cox and Nita Strauss on guitars, Janis Tanaka on bass, Katt Scarlett on keyboards, and both Rachael Rine and Athena on drums. In 2016, Femme Fatale signed with

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

-based company FnA Records to release their long-shelved second album under the title ''One More for the Road''. This album featured recordings dating between 1989-1990 that were originally intended to be the band's followup to their 1988 debut before being dropped by their record label. It eventually became the band's last album of new material. In January 2019, Lewis was named as the new vocalist for another all-female band,

Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, Femme Fatale's contemporaries during the glam metal heyday. She succeeded

Janet Gardner Janet Patricia Gardner (born March 21, 1962 an American rock singer. She is best known as the former lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the all-female glam metal band Vixen joining in 1983. She was the band's longest serving vocalist having p ...

, who stepped down to give more priority to her budding solo career. Lewis had earlier stood in for Gardner in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

during a March 2018 performance.

Band members

;Current members *Lorraine Lewis -

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

(1987–1990, 2013–2019) * Courtney Cox -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(2013–2019) * Janis Tanaka - bass, backing vocals (2013–2019) *Katt Scarlett -

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, backing vocals (2013–2019) *

Athena Lee Athena Lee (born Athena L. Bass; December 8, 1964) is an American drummer and actress. She is the younger sister of Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. Career Lee was born in Los Angeles County, California, the daughter of David Lee Thomas Bass ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(2013–2019) *

Nikki Stringfield Nikki Stringfield (born 1990) is an American heavy metal musician. She is the current guitarist for both The Iron Maidens and Femme Fatale (band), Femme Fatale, the current touring guitarist for Heaven Below, as well as the former guitarist for ...

- guitars (c. 2015–2019) ;Past members *Mazzi Rawd - guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1987–1990) *Bill D'Angelo - guitars (1987–1990; died 2005) *Rick Rael - bass, backing vocals (1987–1990) *Bobby Murray - drums, backing vocals (1987–1990) *

Nita Strauss Nita Strauss (born December 7, 1986) is an American rock musician. She is currently Demi Lovato's touring guitarist and was a former touring guitarist for Alice Cooper from 2014 to 2022 and has a successful career as a solo artist. Strauss was ...

- guitars, backing vocals (2013–2015) *Rachael Rine – drums (2013–2018)

Discography

Studio albums

*''

Femme Fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

'' (1988) – US No. 141, AUS No. 99. *''One More for the Road'' (2016; recorded between 1989 and 1990)

Singles

*"Waiting for the Big One" (1988) – UK No. 86. *"Falling in and Out of Love" (1989, b/w " It's a Long Way to the Top" and "Fortune and Fame") – AUS No. 90, UK No. 69. *"Touch and Go" (1989, ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' flexi disc) *"Rebel" (1989)

Other appearances

*''

License to Drive ''License to Drive'' is a 1988 American teen comedy film written by Neil Tolkin and directed by Greg Beeman in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Heather Graham, Carol Kane, Richard Masur, Michael Manasse ...

'' soundtrack (1988, "Touch and Go") *''

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead ''Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead'' is a 1991 American coming-of-age black comedy film directed by Stephen Herek, written by Neil Landau and Tara Ison, and starring Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, John Getz and Josh Char ...

'' soundtrack (1991, "Chains") - Lorraine Lewis solo track.

References

External links

*
History of Femme Fatale w/ Lorraine LewisBand website
{{Authority control All-female bands Glam metal musical groups from California Hard rock musical groups from California Heavy metal musical groups from California Heavy metal musical groups from New Mexico MCA Records artists Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups disestablished in 1990 Musical groups reestablished in 2013 Musical groups disestablished in 2019 Musical groups from Los Angeles