Justine Frischmann

Justine Frischmann
Frischmann performing in 1995
Background information
Birth name	Justine Elinor Frischmann
Born	(1969-09-16) 16 September 1969 Kensington, London, England
Genres	Alternative rock, Britpop
Occupation(s)	Musician, painter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Associated acts	Elastica, Suede, M.I.A.
Website	http://www.justinefrischmann.net

Justine Elinor Frischmann (born 16 September 1969) is an English artist and musician, best known for being the lead singer of the Britpop band Elastica. Later she pursued a career as an abstract painter.

Personal life

Justine Frischmann was born in Kensington, London^[1] to Wilem Frischmann, a Jewish-Hungarian Holocaust survivor who is chairman of the Pell Frischmann company of consulting engineers, and to a Jewish-Russian mother.^[2][3]

Frischmann grew up in Twickenham^[4] and attended St Paul's School,^[2] before studying at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London.

In 1991 Frischmann began dating Damon Albarn (of Blur). They separated in August 1998. Their split later inspired the songs from the Blur album 13, most notably "Tender" and "No Distance Left to Run".

In July 2008, Frischmann married Dr. Ian Faloona, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of California-Davis. She now lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Career

Music

In 1989, Frischmann met Brett Anderson, a fellow student at UCL, and formed the band Suede. She left the band in 1991.^[2]

Frischmann later founded and fronted her own band, Elastica, which was formed in 1992 and emerged in 1993 with the single "Stutter" with help from BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq. They were first signed to his label, Deceptive Records, and later signed with Geffen Records. The band members were: Frischmann on vocals/guitar, Donna Matthews on guitar, Annie Holland on bass and Justin Welch on drums. In 1995, Elastica was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for their album Elastica. The album became the fastest selling British debut in history, and went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. Elastica released a second album in 2000 which did not sell as well. In 2001 the band announced an amicable break up.

From 2002-2003, Frischmann collaborated with her friend and former flatmate M.I.A., co-writing songs on her first album Arular, most notably its 2003 single "Galang".

Art

In 2005, Frischmann moved to Boulder, Colorado where she studied visual arts at Naropa University, a small, Buddhist-inspired liberal arts college.^[5]

She has exhibited nationally in the US and is currently represented by Unspeakable Projects and the George Lawson Gallery in San Francisco, CA. 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."^[6]

In 2012 her work was shortlisted for the UK's Marmite Prize for painting, and she has been included in 1000 Living Painters.^[7]

Television

In 2003, Frischmann co-presented a series called Dreamspaces for the BBC Television about modern architecture. In 2004, she presented the UK's premier and longest-running arts programme The South Bank Show and was a judge for the 2003 RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture. Frischmann also narrated the 2003 Channel 4 documentary about her hero Adam Ant, The Madness of Prince Charming.^[8]

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Justine Frischmann

• Extensive interview with The Observer
• Interview with The Independent
• Indie Rock Chicks of the 90s
• Artist Site at George Lawson Gallery