Elizabeth Fraser

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Elizabeth Fraser

Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born August 29, 1963 in Grangemouth ) is a Scottish singer. She gained fame primarily as the singer of the Scottish dream pop band Cocteau Twins . Since its dissolution in 1998, she has been pursuing her own solo projects and taking part in the projects of other musicians.

Life

Cocteau Twins

At the age of 17, Fraser formed the band Cocteau Twins in 1981 in their hometown of Grangemouth with Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie. Guthrie and Heggie had noticed Fraser after seeing her dancing in a club one night. Although Fraser had no vocal ambitions at the time, she joined the two.

After a short time she got out of the newly formed band because she did not feel ready to do so, but returned six months later because she had started a relationship with Guthrie. The three then went to London , where they were supported by the well-known DJ John Peel , and began recording their first demo tapes. The young independent label 4AD soon became aware of the band, signed them and released their debut album Garlands in 1982 .

The Cocteau Twins were able to establish themselves alongside bands like My Bloody Valentine or The Jesus and Mary Chain as pioneers of the shoegazing movement. Fraser's characteristic singing style, which borrows from the Gaelic spoken song Puirt a beul and the glossolalia and is mostly difficult to understand and interpret, caused a stir , which has led to protracted debates about the meaning of the lyrics.

In the late 1980s, Fraser's longstanding relationship with Guthrie got into trouble and the two became increasingly strangers, which led to tension within the band. This did not improve after the birth of their daughter in 1989. The situation was exacerbated by Guthrie's ongoing drug and alcohol addiction, which plunged Fraser into misery and finally led to a nervous breakdown during the recording of the album Four-Calendar Café , which resulted in it she had to go into psychotherapy and split up with Guthrie. Reluctantly, Fraser stayed in the band for some time and began a brief but intense relationship with the American musician Jeff Buckley , which lasted until shortly before his death in May 1997.

Solo activities

After the Cocteau Twins broke up in 1998, Fraser continued her vocal engagement and worked with well-known musicians such as Craig Armstrong , Massive Attack , Peter Gabriel and Yann Tiersen . She has also worked on the score for numerous films, including Beyond Dreams , Ice Cold Angels and the first two parts of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy .

Although Fraser took part in numerous projects by other musicians, his own solo releases are still rare. In 2000, for example, the white label release Underwater , which was limited to 200 copies and contained several trance remixes of the title song. The release of a solo album announced for 2007 failed to materialize. At the end of 2009, the solo single Moses was released , which Fraser had recorded some time before together with her partner Damon Reece and their musician friend Jake Drake-Brockman .

Others

Elizabeth Fraser lives in Bristol with her partner Damon Reece (former drummer for Massive Attack, Spiritualized and Lupine Howl ) . She has two daughters; one is from her relationship with Reece, the other from her previous relationship with Robin Guthrie.

Her vocal influences and role models include Tim Buckley , Kate Bush , Judy Henske , Billie Holiday , Esther Ofarim , Edith Piaf , Nina Simone , Frank Sinatra and Mystère des Voix Bulgares .

Guest appearances (selection)

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e Elizabeth Fraser - Biography. In: cocteautwins.com. Retrieved March 30, 2011 .
  2. ^ A b Cocteau Twins - History Chapter 1. In: cocteautwins.com. Retrieved March 30, 2011 .
  3. ^ A b c Dave Simpson: Elizabeth Fraser: the Cocteau Twins and me. In: guardian.co.uk. November 26, 2009, accessed March 30, 2011 .
  4. ^ Cocteau Twins - History Chapter 16. In: cocteautwins.com. Retrieved March 30, 2011 .

Web links