A surprise brush with commercial success

Eleni MANDELL might owe Paris Hilton 10% of her next record deal.

Amid the uproar about Hilton’s steamy Carl’s Jr. TV ad, some attention has also gone to the music accompanying her sudsy bump and grind -- a rocked-up version of Cole Porter’s “I Love Paris” featuring the purr and growl of Mandell.

It’s been a boon for the Los Angeles singer-songwriter who, five albums into her career, is an indie-level performer with a small, loyal following and strong critical support but no mainstream recognition for her various spins on jazz, country and pop.

But curiosity surrounding the ad has brought awareness of her to much wider circles.

“I got a letter from a soldier in Iraq who saw the ad, which was interesting,” she says. “He said, ‘I’m listening to your other music now.’ And it’s always fun to hear that your high school boyfriend’s mother was excited about it.”

HUM, the Santa Monica firm that developed the music for the spot, found enough demand to have Mandell record a full-length version that is being released as a single (initially through Apple’s iTunes online) and will be available to radio stations.

Her manager, Jennifer Jenkins, reports that hits on Mandell’s website skyrocketed as word started to get out. And more importantly, people in the music business have taken notice.

“We are getting calls, some interest from A&R; executives and especially from distributors,” Jenkins says.

Mandell is currently working on her sixth album, and though its producer, Andy Kaulkin, is the head of Epitaph Records and its singer-songwriter sister label Anti-, plans are to see what interest develops before signing a deal. In any case, odds are that it will be a more visible situation than she has had before.

Major-label executives contacted by Pop Eye say that the exposure from the commercial could give Mandell a boost.

“It’s an element that one would consider,” says Warner Bros. Records senior vice president of A&R; Perry Watts-Russell. “But more important would be to talk to the artist about whether it’s a signal of intention to reach a broader audience. If that’s the case, someone who I might have perceived as too indie for a major might have some appeal.”

But with the attention has come some backlash over appearing in such a commercial context.

“I did receive one [e-mail] that questioned my integrity,” she says. “I decided to write him back and say that I took a job and thought I would quietly get some pocket change, and it turned out to be not so quiet. He wrote back a nice e-mail, very understanding.

“It has not been my intention to be a commercial singer. It had just been my hope to make a living making my version of art. I’ve had to grapple with my ambivalence in the past, but times are different now. This is an opportunity for people to find out about me who have never heard of me.”

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