“We liked being able to do a movie musical that's not traditional in how a movie musical has to be. 'Annette' is not an upbeat film, with an upbeat ending, which a lot of musicals tend to have.”

American singer

Russell Craig Mael is an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the pop and rock duo Sparks. Born in 1948, he formed the group in 1971 with his elder brother Ron Mael. He is known for a wide vocal range, especially his high falsetto, and for a flamboyant, highly animated stage presence. Sparks later released the 2015 album FFS with Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand under the name FFS, and the Mael brothers founded Lil' Beethoven Records.