In 2006, singer/songwriter Glen Hansard of Irish indie rockers the Frames was asked by his former bandmate John Carney to provide the songs for a film about Dublin buskers called ONCE that Carney was writing and directing. When the film's star, actor Cillian Murphy, dropped out, the non-actor Hansard was recruited in his place as the lead character. Hansard's costar, Czech singer and pianist Marketa Irglova, helped write and record the 2007 album THE SWELL SEASON, including many of the film's songs. After its international success, the duo formed a band of the same name.