Britta Phillips
Encyclopedia
Britta Phillips is an American musician, songwriter, actress and voice actor. She is best known as the singing voice of the title character of Jem
and as one half of the duo Dean and Britta
, with her husband Dean Wareham
. Her acting credits include the 1988 film Satisfaction
.
. Her father, Peter Phillips is a musician, songwriter, jingle composer and former music teacher of Paul Simon
. He has also worked on several Broadway plays. At the age of 19, Phillips moved to Brooklyn
, New York
to pursue a career in music. In 1985, through his musical contacts, Phillips father secured an audition for her for the role of "Jem". Phillips was hired on the strength of her demo for the show's theme song, and that version was the one used in the opening credits.
and Ultrababyfat in the 1990s and Luna
from 2001 to 2005. Since then, Phillips has released albums with fellow Luna bandmate (and husband) Dean Wareham. Wareham, a former member of the band Galaxie 500
, toured with Phillips in 2010 performing the band's back catalog. Phillips has also toured with Ben Lee
. Phillips and Wareham have also written score pieces for the Noah Baumbach
film The Squid and the Whale
and the Morgan J. Freeman
film Just Like the Son
. Their song "Knives From Bavaria" (Sonic Souvenirs) appears in the Olivier Assayas
film, Clean, (starring Maggie Cheung
). Their song "Your baby" appears in the Italian movie "A/R Andata e Ritorno" directed by Marco Ponti
. In 2001, Phillips provided vocals on the Anika Moa
album Thinking Room
. In 2007, Britta produced and recorded a cover of Neil Young
's "I Am A Child" for the benefit CD Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young For Charity. In 2010, Phillips performed vocals on the MGMT
single "It's Working
" from their album Congratulations
.
, who provided Jem's speaking voice. The series ran from 1985 to 1988. During this time, she featured role in a 1986 episode of the cult TV show Crime Story
, in which she played a former homecoming queen turned high-class escort in Las Vegas. In 1988 she co-starred in the teen rock band movie "Satisfaction" with Justine Bateman
, Julia Roberts
, Liam Neeson
, Debbie Harry
& Scott Coffey
. Phillips performed several songs during the movie and is featured on the soundtrack album. Also in 1988, she had a starring role as a nurse in the pilot episode of the short-lived TV series "Nightingales". From 2005 to 2008, she voiced various characters for the Adult Swim
series Moral Orel
, most notably as Bloberta Puppington. In 2006, she featured as herself in the Luna band documentary "Tell Me Do You Miss Me". Since 2010, Phillips has voiced various characters in Mary Shelley's Frankenhole
, most notealby Elizabeth Frankenstein. Both "Moral Orel" and "Mary Shelley's Frankenhole" were created by Dino Stamatopoulos
.
Jem (TV series)
Jem, also known as Jem and the Holograms, is an American animated television series that ran from 1985 to 1988 in U.S. first-run syndication...
and as one half of the duo Dean and Britta
Dean and Britta
Dean & Britta is a musical duo consisting of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, both former members of Luna. Wareham had formed Luna in 1991 after leaving his first band, Galaxie 500. Phillips joined Luna in 2000, replacing bassist Justin Harwood.-History:...
, with her husband Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham is an American musician, who formed the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Wareham moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia, before settling in New York City in 1977. Wareham attended high school at Dalton School in New York, and then attended Harvard...
. Her acting credits include the 1988 film Satisfaction
Satisfaction (film)
Satisfaction is a 1988 drama starring Justine Bateman and Liam Neeson. It is one of the few theatrical productions by both Aaron Spelling and NBC.-Plot:...
.
Early life
Phillips was born in Boyne City, Michigan to a musical family, but grew up in Bucks County, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Her father, Peter Phillips is a musician, songwriter, jingle composer and former music teacher of Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
. He has also worked on several Broadway plays. At the age of 19, Phillips moved to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to pursue a career in music. In 1985, through his musical contacts, Phillips father secured an audition for her for the role of "Jem". Phillips was hired on the strength of her demo for the show's theme song, and that version was the one used in the opening credits.
Music career
Phillips was a member of the bands The BelltowerThe Belltower
The Belltower was an American alternative rock band from New York City often associated with the shoegazing scene, with members who later joined Luna and Fountains of Wayne.-History:...
and Ultrababyfat in the 1990s and Luna
Luna (band)
Luna was a dream pop/indie pop band formed in 1991 by Dean Wareham after the breakup of Galaxie 500, with Stanley Demeski and Justin Harwood...
from 2001 to 2005. Since then, Phillips has released albums with fellow Luna bandmate (and husband) Dean Wareham. Wareham, a former member of the band Galaxie 500
Galaxie 500
Galaxie 500 was an American alternative rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums.-History:Guitarist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon Krukowski and bassist Naomi Yang had met at the Dalton School in New York City in 1981, but began playing together during their time...
, toured with Phillips in 2010 performing the band's back catalog. Phillips has also toured with Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
. Phillips and Wareham have also written score pieces for the Noah Baumbach
Noah Baumbach
Noah Baumbach is an American writer, director and independent filmmaker.-Background and education:Baumbach was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of novelist/film critic Jonathan Baumbach and Village Voice critic Georgia Brown. He graduated from Brooklyn's Midwood High School in 1987 and ...
film The Squid and the Whale
The Squid and the Whale
The Squid and the Whale is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and produced by Wes Anderson. It tells the semi-autobiographical story of two boys in Brooklyn dealing with their parents' divorce in the 1980s. The film is named after a giant squid and sperm whale diorama...
and the Morgan J. Freeman
Morgan J. Freeman
Morgan J. Freeman is an American film director. In 1997, his debut feature, Hurricane Streets, became the first narrative film to win three awards at the Sundance Film Festival...
film Just Like the Son
Just Like the Son
Just Like the Son is an American feature film written and directed by Morgan J. Freeman. The film was Freeman’s third from an original screenplay and shot during the summer of 2005 in New York City and Wilmington, North Carolina...
. Their song "Knives From Bavaria" (Sonic Souvenirs) appears in the Olivier Assayas
Olivier Assayas
Olivier Assayas is a French film director and screenwriter.He made his debut in 1986, after directing some short films and writing for the influential film magazine Cahiers du cinéma.-Career:...
film, Clean, (starring Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
). Their song "Your baby" appears in the Italian movie "A/R Andata e Ritorno" directed by Marco Ponti
Marco Ponti
Marco Ponti is a prominent Italian film director, whose work includes strange characters who move in a world more like a comic book than a movie screen, in elliptical conversations.-Biography:...
. In 2001, Phillips provided vocals on the Anika Moa
Anika Moa
Anika Rose Moa is a New Zealand pop recording artist. In 2001 she signed to Atlantic Records in the United States and released her debut album, Thinking Room, the album reached the top of the New Zealand Singles Chart and was a commercial success.Moa was raised in Christchurch, New Zealand...
album Thinking Room
Thinking Room
-Personnel:* Richard Bates – art direction and design* Des Bradbery – additional programming * Matt Chamberlain – drums, percussion* Knox Chandler – electric guitar, mandolin, bass...
. In 2007, Britta produced and recorded a cover of Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's "I Am A Child" for the benefit CD Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young For Charity. In 2010, Phillips performed vocals on the MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
single "It's Working
It's Working
-Music video:MGMT says in a interview for Pitchfork about the song: "We just shot the coolest video in Paris with director So Me [Justice's "D.A.N.C.E."] for 'It's Working'. In it, Ben and I find this box and these instructions to put together a machine that's constantly changing, and we end up...
" from their album Congratulations
Congratulations (album)
The album received mostly positive reviews upon its release, and a 72/100 metascore at Metacritic, based upon 39 reviews. Pitchfork Media deemed the album "audacious, ambitious, and a little fried." NME got a first listen of the album and described it as a mix of "frenetic, brief psych nuggets......
.
Acting career
Britta's first acting job was as the singing voice of the lead character in the animated series "Jem", alongside actress and singer Samantha NewarkSamantha Newark
Samantha Newark is a British-American singer and voice actress.Newark is best known for her voice-over work on the animated 1980s cartoon series Jem as the speaking voice of Jerrica/Jem...
, who provided Jem's speaking voice. The series ran from 1985 to 1988. During this time, she featured role in a 1986 episode of the cult TV show Crime Story
Crime Story (TV series)
Crime Story is an NBC TV drama created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson. The executive producer was Michael Mann, who had left Miami Vice to oversee Crime Story and direct the film Manhunter. The show premiered with a two hour pilot — a movie which had been exhibited theatrically —...
, in which she played a former homecoming queen turned high-class escort in Las Vegas. In 1988 she co-starred in the teen rock band movie "Satisfaction" with Justine Bateman
Justine Bateman
Justine Tanya Bateman is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is best known for her regular role as Mallory Keaton on the sitcom Family Ties...
, Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
, Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
, Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
& Scott Coffey
Scott Coffey
Scott Coffey is an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter. His acting credits include films such as Shag, Some Kind of Wonderful, Dream Lover, and Mulholland Drive...
. Phillips performed several songs during the movie and is featured on the soundtrack album. Also in 1988, she had a starring role as a nurse in the pilot episode of the short-lived TV series "Nightingales". From 2005 to 2008, she voiced various characters for the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
series Moral Orel
Moral Orel
Moral Orel is an American stop-motion animated television show, which originally aired on Adult Swim from December 13, 2005 to December 18, 2008...
, most notably as Bloberta Puppington. In 2006, she featured as herself in the Luna band documentary "Tell Me Do You Miss Me". Since 2010, Phillips has voiced various characters in Mary Shelley's Frankenhole
Mary Shelley's Frankenhole
Mary Shelley's Frankenhole is a stop-motion animated TV series by Dino Stamatopoulos, creator of Moral Orel. Nine of ten 15-minute episodes have aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. Frankenhole premiered on June 27, 2010.-Premise:Dr...
, most notealby Elizabeth Frankenstein. Both "Moral Orel" and "Mary Shelley's Frankenhole" were created by Dino Stamatopoulos
Dino Stamatopoulos
Dino Stamatopoulos is an American television comedy writer, actor and producer who has worked on Mr. Show, TV Funhouse, Mad TV, The Dana Carvey Show, Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien...
.