Justine Frischmann
Justine Frischmann | |
|---|---|
 Frischmann performing in August 1995 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Justine Elinor Frischmann |
| Born | 16 September 1969 Twickenham, London, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, Britpop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, painter artist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1989–2002 (musician) 1999–present (painter, artist) |
| Partner(s) | Damon Albarn (1991–1998) |
| Website | justinefrischmann.net |
Justine Elinor Frischmann (born 16 September 1969)[1] is an English artist and retired musician. She was the lead singer of the Britpop band Elastica after forming Suede, before retiring from the music industry and pursuing a career as an artist.
Early years
Frischmann was born on 16 September 1969 in Twickenham, London, the daughter of Wilem Frischmann, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who is the former chairman of the Pell Frischmann company of consulting engineers, and a Russian mother.[2][3][4] Her parents are both Jewish. She grew up in Twickenham, Greater London,[5] and attended St Paul's Girls School,[2] before studying at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London from 1989 to 1993.[6]
Career
Music
Frischmann began writing and studying music at age 11.[2]
She was a founding member of the band Suede with Brett Anderson, whom she met at UCL in 1988. She left the band in October 1991.[2] In the 2018 documentary The Insatiable Ones, Anderson cites her as a highly significant influence on the band's first album.[7]
Frischmann later founded and fronted her own band, Elastica. In 1994, Elastica were voted Best New Band by NME readers at the Brit awards. They were signed to Deceptive Records in the UK, and later with Geffen Records in Europe and the US. Their first album, Elastica, released in 1995, became the fastest-selling debut album in UK history. In 1995, Elastica were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for Elastica. The album went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. In 2001 the band announced an amicable breakup, citing, in part, burnout from a grueling touring schedule.
Frischmann spent the next few years developing artist M.I.A., whom she discovered. M.I.A. was Frischmann's friend and flatmate. Frischmann co-wrote and produced M.I.A.'s demos for her first album, Arular, most notably its 2003 single "Galang".
In 2017, Rough Trade Records released a remastered version of Elastica. In 2019, Rough Trade released a limited edition Elastica BBC sessions album on UK Record Store Day.
Television
In 2003, Frischmann co-presented a series called Dreamspaces for the BBC Television about modern architecture. In 2004, she presented The South Bank Show and was a judge for the RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture.
Art
In 2005, Frischmann moved to Boulder, Colorado, to enroll in a masters program in visual arts at Naropa University, a small, Buddhist-inspired liberal arts college,[8] and "become a nobody". In 2012 her work was shortlisted for the UK's Marmite Prize for painting, and she has been included in The Amsterdam List of 1000 Living Painters.[9]
In a 2016 interview regarding her art career, Frischmann stated, "I don't really have any desire to make music, to be honest."[10]
Frischmann has said, "The themes and ideas I am working with are in direct relation to an ongoing personal narrative; the big questions are reflected in the choices I make in my art ... [including] my ever-evolving relationship with my spiritual faith. I think my approach and aesthetics reveal internal struggles and speak to my family origins and history."[11]
Personal life
Frischmann previously dated her Suede bandmate Brett Anderson.[12] She then dated Blur lead singer Damon Albarn from 1991 until the couple broke up in 1998, which served as inspiration for Blur's 1999 singles "No Distance Left to Run" and "Tender". In the spring of 2000, Frischmann took up competitive fencing. She married a meteorologist, Ian Faloona[13] in 2008, and lives and works in the United States.[14][11]
References
- ^ Jews Who Rock (2016) ISBN 978-1-250-13869-9
- ^ a b c d Smith, Andrew (2 March 2002). "Elastica limits". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ "The after-life... musicians who decided to go and get a day job". independent.ie. 13 December 2008. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Smith, Andrew (10 March 2002). "Interview: Justine Frischmann". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Justine Frischmann". Somethingjewish.co.uk. 22 December 2003. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ "Architecture's best‑known drop-outs". Architects' Journal. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Justine Frischmann in Suede's The Insatiable Ones' Documentary (2018)" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Interview: Justine Frischmann | New Linear Perspectives". Newlinearperspectives.wordpress.com. June 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Willigendael, Leon (19 June 2014). "Justine Frischmann (2017.09.13)". The Amsterdam List. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Needham, Alex (14 March 2016). "Justine Frischmann: waking up from Elastica to art in America". the Guardian.
- ^ a b "Justine Frischmann | In The Make | Studio visits with West Coast artists". In The Make. 29 May 2012. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (26 February 2018). "Suede's Brett Anderson opens up about his relationship with Elastica's Justine Frischmann". NME. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Wilson, MacKenzie (October 2010). "Justine Frischmann Finds a Peaceful 'Connection' in the US". BBC America. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ DeVille, Chris (23 April 2014). "Stars of Britpop: Where Are They Now?". Stereogum.
External links
- Extensive interview with The Observer
- Interview with The Independent
- Indie Rock Chicks of the 90s Archived 14 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine