moved to New York City

In March 2008, Miller moved to New York City expressly to find a female vocalist for some song demos he was working on. “I’m just obsessed with female vocalists. I don’t want to say I was really determined, but I was really determined,” said Miller. He began working at a Brazilian bistro in Williamsburg, Brooklyn , and in July, Krauss and her mother dined at the restaurant. Miller expressed his interest in finding a female vocalist for his new project and Krauss was volunteered by her mother. The two met in a park, where she listened to Miller’s demos. In a 2012 interview, Krauss recalled her first impressions, saying: “Derek’s music sounded like a really interesting challenge, but I wasn’t thinking he was somebody I wanted to develop a creative relationship with.” Krauss was pursuing a Rhodes Scholarship at the time, but decided to pair up with Miller instead. The band name Sleigh Bells comes from the phrase Miller used to delineate CD-Rs with demos he had worked on.