Femme Fatale was formed in 1987 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Later on that year, the band moved to Los Angeles and signed a recording contract with a subsidiary of MCA Records after a well-received showcase. The band's self-titled debut album, released in 1988, peaked at #141 on the Billboard 200 the following year. MTV gave heavy airplay to the videos for "Waiting for the Big One" and "Falling in and out of Love", the band's two signature songs. The airplay helped the album to sell nearly 200,000 copies, but Femme Fatale was unable to match the popularity of other bands in the glam metal scene. The band saw their status at MCA shrink and the band's manager, Andrea Accardo, developed a rare brain cancer. Shortly after touring the world in support of Cheap Trick, recording was to commence on a new studio album, but ultimately it was never completed and the band dissolved in 1990.
Since leaving Femme Fatale, Lorraine Lewis has recorded a few modestly successful solo albums in country, new age and other rock genres. Guitarist Mazzi Rawd left the music industry and went on to get his PhD in Physics, and is now a Vice President in a Fortune 500 company. Guitarist Bill D'Angelo died of a heart attack in 2005, aged 43. The Albuquerque Tribune reported on March 26, 2006, that D'Angelo's death was due to methamphetamine misuse.
In recent years, satellite radio and VH-1 Classic have given the band's two signature songs a new life, with display on VH1C's Metal Mania and the two main satellite networks' 1980s-themed stations as well as here on HR80's.com!