Known for her stripped-back guitar style, which is heavily influenced by both her classical training and 90s R&B acts such as Aaliyah and Mary J. Blige, Romy Madley Croft is an English musician and songwriter. She rose to prominence as the lead guitarist and vocalist of the English indie rock band The xx. She was born in London on August 18, 1989, and grew up in the city's southwest area. Romy Madley Croft attended Elliott School, a comprehensive school in Putney, where she met Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith, who would go on to become her bandmates in The xx. The three of them formed the band in 2005 when they were just 15 years old. She has received widespread critical acclaim for her work with The xx, and the band has won numerous awards, including the Mercury Prize and two Brit Awards. She has also been nominated for several individual awards, including the NME Awards' Best Solo Artist and Best Music Video. In addition to her work with The xx, Croft has also collaborated with other artists, including Florence and the Machine, Four Tet, and Drake. She has also released solo music under the pseudonym R.M.C. In 2020, Romy Madley Croft issued her first solo single "Lifetime," followed by the 2022 Fred Again.. collaborative singles "Lights Out" and "Strong," the latter of which reached Number 27 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.