Willis: Smokescreen

Her name is Hayley Willis, but she prefers to perform only under her surname of Willis. Her song “Smokescreen” from the 2003 release of “Come Get Some” is currently being used in the television ad for the Fiat 500 Abarth.

There is not much information concerning the artist on the Internet; however, her own website tells a bit of her story: “Having grown up in West London on a diet of Elvis Presley, Hollywood musicals, nursery rhymes and country music, a fortunate inability to remember other people’s lyrics forced Willis into writing her own songs. Though hugely influenced by female American artists like Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald and Brenda Lee, she began singing traditional Irish folk songs before discovering 1970s Americana, via Neil Young and The Band, during the 90s. A six year spell working at the eclectic London store, Soul Jazz Records, belatedly introduced her to the world of dance music and electronica, and by the mid 2000s she was releasing records via her own label, Cripple Creek.”

That’s about all I could find about the song “Smokescreen” and Willis in general. The commercial by the way features Catrinel Menghia, a Romanian and not Italian model.

Fiat 500 Abarth Commercial