Legrand was born in Paris, France, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was trained on piano as a child, but says she quit studying at age eighteen. She studied drama at Vassar College. After graduating in 2003, she relocated to Paris to study acting at the International Theatre School of Jacques Lecoq. Becoming “disenchanted with theater school,” she moved to Baltimore in 2004.

In 2004, Legrand met Baltimore-native Alex Scally, and they quickly formed a two-piece band. Legrand often mentions how organically they work together, and how, in Scally, she found her “musical soulmate.” The two have recorded seven studio albums as Beach House: Beach House (2006), Devotion (2008), Teen Dream (2010), Bloom (2012), Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars (2015), and 7 (2018).