Karen O

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Karen Lee Orzołek, better known as Karen O, is the lead vocalist for the New York art punk band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She was born on November 22, 1978 in South Korea.

Karen's mother is Korean and father is Polish. Karen grew up in New Jersey, and attended Oberlin College, but transferred to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Karen O has been noted for her sense of fashion. All of her stage costumes are designed by her friend, fashion designer Christian Joy.

She is also well known for her outrageous antics during live shows. She is known to often spit water or beer, or sometimes grapes into the crowd, and has been seen humping the stage monitors, or suggestively playing with her microphone. Her on-stage antics have been compared to punk legends like Iggy Pop and Patti Smith.

During a tour for the 2003 Livid Festival in Australia, at a sideshow at The Metro in Sydney, she accidentally danced off the stage and was reluctantly taken to hospital. A few days later at the Sydney leg of the Livid Festival, she appeared in a wheelchair pushed by Angus Andrew.[1]

She currently lives in Los Angeles, California, in the Silver Lake neighborhood.

For the movie Jackass 2, Karen O collaborated with electronic artist Peaches and Johnny Knoxville to record a track entitled "Backass".

Karen was asked by Playboy to pose on their cover. She said on the subject, "If I see footage from our shows, I'm shocked by what I'm doing. But Playboy asked me about being on the cover. That's pretty insane. I may do it in the future." [2]

During an interview with Ripple magazine in November 2006 Karen let slip that she had been the "star" of a pornographic film when aged 18. Speaking of this she quoted as saying that she was "tricked into it" by a former boyfriend, and that as a consequence a Playboy shoot was unlikely.

[edit] Trivia

  • She has been compared to Missing Persons vocalist Dale Bozzio, whom she imitates often in vocal styling.
  • Has a tattoo of a bumblebee on her left shoulder.
  • In 2005, contributed to the UNICEF benefit song, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?"
  • A song from Six by Seven's album "The Way I Feel Today" is named after her.
  • A line from "Heard About Your Band" (from the album "Give Blood" by Brakes) features her name - "You shared a cab with Karen O, Oh Ohh Oh Oh Ohh...".
  • Sung the song for an Adidas TV promotion also featuring DJ Squeak E. Clean, known as "Hello Tomorrow."
  • Has cited Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse as an inspiration[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen O | Nick Zinner | Brian Chase
Discography
Studio albums: Fever to Tell, 2003 | Show Your Bones, 2006
EPs: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 2001 | Machine, 2002 | Let Me Know/Gold Lion Remixes, 2006
Singles: "Bang!" | "Art Star" | "Date With The Night" | "Pin" | "Maps" | "Y Control" | "Gold Lion" | "Turn Into" | "Cheated Hearts"
DVDs: Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow
Categories
Category:Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs
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