Draft:Oracle Sisters

Oracle Sisters is a French trio band formed in Paris, France in 2017. It is made up of members Julia Johansen, Lewis Lazar, and Christopher Willatt.

As of March 2024, Oracle Sisters have released one album and two EPs.

History
Oracle Sisters were formed in Paris, France in 2017 with childhood friends Lewis Lazar and Christopher Willatt. Lazar and Willatt were born in Denmark and Northern Ireland, respectively, and grew up in Brussels, Belgium. They attended the same school from the age of 5, but didn't truly meet until the age of 15 or 16 at their school's 'Battle of the Bands', where their respective bands were competing. The pair got to know each other after Lazar asked Willatt to join his new band. The pair stayed in touch after leaving school, Lazar moving to New York and Willatt to Edinburgh.

The pair moved to Paris after being offered jobs by their friend 'Lionel' at his newly opened Cabaret called 'Le Carrousel'. The pair stayed in touch after leaving school, Lazar moving to New York and Willatt to Edinburgh. They began writing together daily, coining the band name 'Oracle Sisters'. They then met Julia Johansen, a Finnish songwriter, shortly after she arrived in Paris. She was initially included in the band due to her singing talent, but soon became the band's drummer after her talent on the drums became apparent. Johansen began to contribute some writing to the band, but Lazar and Willatt remain the main songwriting team.

It was in this era of the band that they wrote and recorded EPs Paris I and Paris II, released in 2020 and 2021 respectively. After recording and releasing Paris I and Paris II, the band went on tour around the UK and Europe.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the band moved to a remote island in Athens, called Hydra. Lazar had visited the island twice before, spending five years with his painter friend, and then again for three years with a collector who offered his house to Lazar in exchange for drawings, watercolors, or paintings, and finally as a teacher at an artist residency on the island. Willatt joined Lazar for two of those years to write music outside of Paris. The Covid-19 pandemic offered an opportunity for the band to reside on the island to write music. Over the two months they spent on the island, they wrote and completed 35 songs, 20 of which were recorded. 11 of the 20 tracks were included on their debut album, Hydranism.

The band has many inspirations, drawing from elements of rock, psychedelia, soul & disco to create a sound unique to the band. In an interview, a member of the band commented on inspiration for 'The Dandelion', saying "the song is inspired by Chet Baker’s singing with a sort of disco back beat behind it."