| Justin Tranter | |
|---|---|
Justin Tranter in 2009 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Justin Tranter |
| Origin | Lake Zurich, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Pop, electronic dance music, glam rock |
| Occupations | singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Razor & Tie |
| Associated acts | Semi Precious Weapons |
| Website | Official site |
Justin Tranter (June 16, 1980) is an American musician and jewelry designer. He is most famous as the lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons, a New York "garage glam" rock band. His jewelry line, Fetty, is sold in major stores like Barneys New York, Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic.
Contents |
Justin Tranter and his three older brothers were raised by his parents in Lake Zurich, Illinois. He studied music at the Chicago Academy for the Arts from 1994-98.
After graduation from high school Tranter moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. Along with songwriting, he also took classes in business management, in preparation for a career in music. Tranter graduated from Berklee in three years, with a GPA of 3.9 and a degree in songwriting. While at Berklee, Justin founded Musicians With a Mission, a scholarship fund for LGBT youth education.[1]
In 2003, Justin won an Outmusic Award for the song "Blend In," co-written with Stephanie Delk, from "Scratched."[2]
Tranter began his music career on the Lower East Side of New York City's underground club circuit which is where he met aspiriring Rock/Pop Performance Artist Stefani Germanotta, who is better known as Lady Gaga.
Tranter recorded his first album, Scratched, while still at Berklee. After graduation Tranter moved to New York where he put together his first band as the house band for an off-broadway show called Rockstars NYC. The show closed after 3 weeks and Tranter went on to record his second album, Tear Me Together.
In 2004, Tranter joined forces with fellow Berklee graduates, Neal Persiani (stage name Cole Whittle) and Dan Crean, and Aaron Lee Tasjan (who has since been replaced by Stevy Pyne) to form Semi Precious Weapons. He and Semi Precious Weapons opened for Lady GaGa on her Monster Ball from 11/09-5/11.
Jewelry was a natural outlet for Tranter’s creative talent as experience with his mother’s jewelry business led him to his early day job in a jewelry store after he moved to New York. Tranter’s jewelry company, Fetty, grew out of necklaces he designed to sell as merchandise for the Semi Precious Weapons shows.[3] These rock-and-roll inspired pieces consist mostly of heart and weapon themed charm necklaces and earrings. These pieces caught the eye of buyers of retail chains Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic; selling more than 100,000 pieces with the proceeds funding the self-release of the Semi Precious Weapons album “You Love You”. Fetty has evolved into a three-tiered line (Fetty, Semi Precious Weapons and Fame) available at Barneys New York, Urban Outfitters, Fred Segal and karmaloop.com, as well as NYC boutique Alter. His signature line, Fetty, is sold exclusively through Barneys New York and consists mainly of 14K gold and sterling silver encrusted with Braille words in diamonds. His jewelry has captured the attention of supermodel Kate Moss[4] and the United Kingdom's Princess Beatrice of York.[5]
Branching out of jewellery, Tranter has also shared his design talents with Donna Karan. In 2008, he designed a limited-edition sneaker for DKNY.[6]
Tranter appeared as a guest on the E! cable network show Chelsea Lately in October, 2008. In December 2008, he also appeared as a coach on the MTV reality show MADE in which he helped a young girl transform into a "rock star".[7] Tranter appears in the diner in the music video for Telephone by Lady Gaga.