Belinda Carlisle's years of smoking and drinking helped prepare her voice for recording an album full of sultry French songs. The Go-GO's former lead singer wanted to embark upon another solo project, but wanted to change direction musically from the pop tunes she's famed for. She explains, "I was approached about making an album, but I had no desire to do another pop one. "It kind of came out of left field, and because of my love for French music I had a feeling I could probably do it, but I wasn't sure." When asked about her sexy sound she replies, "That's from years of cigarettes and booze." Carlisle was diligent about studying the language adding, "I live between France and England, and soon Austria. When I'm there I go to French classes and I have a French tutor. "I had somebody in the studio to help me along, because sometimes I needed an extra ear to kind of go, 'No, it's this, it's not that.'"