San Ilya

Emerging from the combined vision of songwriter Nick Pullin, singer Joanna Swan, and bassist Dan Brown, the lush electronic cabaret-pop sound of Ilya—known as San Ilya in the U.S.—took form. Both Pullin and Swan, natives of Bristol, England, began composing and performing material together while also appearing as a jazz standards duo at local pubs. Brown first encountered the pair during one of these shows and soon became a member, supplying not only the low end but also a dedicated recording space. The completed trio continued playing at parties and weddings, where they refreshed standards with original flourishes drawn from rock, world, and electronic sources. Inside Brown’s studio they merged these strands into a singular style, culminating in the European release of their debut album, They Died for Beauty, in late 2003. The band gained considerable U.S. exposure even before the record arrived domestically when the single “Bellissimo” appeared in television commercials for Revlon’s Colorstay makeup. They Died for Beauty reached American listeners in summer 2004.