Frances Bean Cobain
Encyclopedia
Frances Bean Cobain is the daughter of Nirvana
frontman Kurt Cobain
and Hole
singer Courtney Love
.
and musician/actress Courtney Love
. She was named after Frances McKee
, the guitarist for the Scottish indie pop
duo The Vaselines
. The middle name 'Bean' was chosen because Kurt thought she looked like a kidney bean on the ultrasound
. Her godfather is former R.E.M.
frontman Michael Stipe
, and Drew Barrymore
is her godmother. Her father died
when she was 20 months old and she was subsequently raised by her mother, her aunts, and her paternal grandmother.
During her kindergarten year, Cobain attended Highland Hall
in Northridge, California. While her mother was filming The People Vs. Larry Flynt
in Memphis, Tennessee
, Frances attended The Maria Montessori School for a short time. She also enrolled at The Willows Community School, located in Culver City, for elementary school and middle school. Beginning in 2004, she attended Happy Medium School in Seattle
, now called Giddens School.
, where they played together. This would be the last time Cobain saw her father alive. In the early morning hours of April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain was found dead
at his home in Seattle. A final ceremony was arranged for Kurt Cobain by his mother on May 31, 1999, attended by both Courtney Love and Tracy Marander. As a Buddhist monk chanted, Frances scattered her father's ashes into McLane Creek in Olympia, Washington
, the city where he "had found his true artistic muse".
According to Rolling Stone
magazine, the title and cover photograph
for Sliver: The Best of the Box, were chosen by Frances. Her mother has stated that Cobain is set to inherit "a sweater, a guitar and the lyrics to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit
'" from her father's possessions. On August 18, 2010, Cobain inherited 37% of her late father's estate.
published Lynn Hirschberg's article "Strange Love" that alleged Love admitted to using heroin even after learning of her pregnancy. Along with Cobain, Love maintained that Vanity Fair
took her words out of context. Eventually, child welfare services
launched an investigation questioning their parenting abilities. The investigation was eventually dismissed, but not without a significant amount of legal wrangling and being removed from her parents' custody for a short time, beginning when she was two weeks old.
During Love's hospital stint in 2003, Cobain was put into the care of her grandmother. Cobain was returned to the custody of Love several months later. In late 2005, Hank Harrison, Love's father, prepared a brief petitioning a Los Angeles court for visitation rights to the minor child, but the petition was denied.
On December 11, 2009, a California Superior Court in Los Angeles appointed Wendy O'Connor, her paternal grandmother, and Kimberly Cobain, her father's sister, as temporary co-guardians of Frances. On December 16, 2009, it was reported that a judge had issued a related temporary restraining order, prohibiting Love from having any direct or indirect contact with her daughter. The papers were filed under the heading "motion to seal all documents … relating to a minor and allegations of domestic violence." Among those documents are Frances's medical records, according to the filing.
where she discussed her personal style and mentioned her parents. Another appeared in the January 2006 issue of i-D
, where she expressed negativity over tabloid portrayals of her mother and was quoted as saying, "When you see a lot of lies about her in the tabloids, it can be hurtful."
In August 2006, she was photographed for Elle
magazine in her father's famous brown cardigan and pajama pants as part of an article featuring children of rock stars in their parent's clothing. She explained, "I wore his pajamas because he got married in them to my mom in 1992 in Hawaii so I thought they would be cute if I wore them today. He was too lazy to put on a tux so he got married in pajamas!" In February 2008, she appeared in a photo spread for Harper's Bazaar
. In July 2010, she spoke with Interview magazine about her art, following her debut exhibition in Los Angeles.
On October 27, 2011, it was announced that Cobain was engaged to Isaiah Silva (born 1985), a musician.
-themed party at the House of Blues
in Los Angeles
to celebrate a "RIP Childhood" 16th birthday. The event was funded by Love, and included a performance from Mindless Self Indulgence
.
for Rolling Stone
magazine from June to August 2008.
by Evelyn Evelyn
, which was released March 30, 2010. Amanda Palmer
from Evelyn Evelyn
clarified that Cobain was one of some 20 artists who sang the same line and whose voices were mixed together in the recording.
"Fiddle Tim" at the La Luz de Jesus
Gallery in Los Angeles
.
for a web photo series released August 2nd, 2011. She also modeled for fashion photographer, Rocky Schenck in a series of 10 photographs.
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
frontman Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
and Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
singer Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
.
Childhood and youth
Frances Bean Cobain was born in Los Angeles, California on August 18, 1992 to rock musician Kurt CobainKurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
and musician/actress Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
. She was named after Frances McKee
Frances McKee
Frances McKee is a singer and songwriter known best for her work in the Scottish indie band The Vaselines.The Vaselines formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1986. Following the release of two EPs, Son of a Gun and Dying for It, the first and only full length album, Dum-Dum, in 1989, the band split up...
, the guitarist for the Scottish indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
duo The Vaselines
The Vaselines
The Vaselines are an alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1986, the band was originally a duo between its songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on bass and drums respectively from the band Secession. McKee had...
. The middle name 'Bean' was chosen because Kurt thought she looked like a kidney bean on the ultrasound
Obstetric ultrasonography
Obstetric sonography is the application of medical ultrasonography to obstetrics, in which sonography is used to visualize the embryo or foetus in its mother's uterus...
. Her godfather is former R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
frontman Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
, and Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
is her godmother. Her father died
Death of Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was found dead at his home located at 171 Lake Washington Boulevard in Seattle, Washington, United States on April 8, 1994. Cobain, the lead singer of the American grunge band Nirvana, had checked out of a drug rehabilitation facility and been reported suicidal by his wife Courtney Love...
when she was 20 months old and she was subsequently raised by her mother, her aunts, and her paternal grandmother.
During her kindergarten year, Cobain attended Highland Hall
Highland Hall Waldorf School
Highland Hall Waldorf School is a private school in Northridge, California with a curriculum based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf Education. Offering classes from grades Pre-K through 12, it is recognized the oldest Waldorf school on the West Coast...
in Northridge, California. While her mother was filming The People Vs. Larry Flynt
The People vs. Larry Flynt
The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine publisher and editor Larry Flynt, and his subsequent clash with the law. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, and Edward Norton.The film was written by...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Frances attended The Maria Montessori School for a short time. She also enrolled at The Willows Community School, located in Culver City, for elementary school and middle school. Beginning in 2004, she attended Happy Medium School in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, now called Giddens School.
Parents
On April 1, 1994, Cobain visited her father at the Exodus Recovery Center, a rehab center in Marina Del Rey, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where they played together. This would be the last time Cobain saw her father alive. In the early morning hours of April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain was found dead
Death of Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was found dead at his home located at 171 Lake Washington Boulevard in Seattle, Washington, United States on April 8, 1994. Cobain, the lead singer of the American grunge band Nirvana, had checked out of a drug rehabilitation facility and been reported suicidal by his wife Courtney Love...
at his home in Seattle. A final ceremony was arranged for Kurt Cobain by his mother on May 31, 1999, attended by both Courtney Love and Tracy Marander. As a Buddhist monk chanted, Frances scattered her father's ashes into McLane Creek in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, the city where he "had found his true artistic muse".
According to Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine, the title and cover photograph
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
for Sliver: The Best of the Box, were chosen by Frances. Her mother has stated that Cobain is set to inherit "a sweater, a guitar and the lyrics to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
'" from her father's possessions. On August 18, 2010, Cobain inherited 37% of her late father's estate.
Legal issues
Before Love gave birth to her daughter, there were rumors suggesting that she used heroin during her pregnancy. This scandal intensified when Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
published Lynn Hirschberg's article "Strange Love" that alleged Love admitted to using heroin even after learning of her pregnancy. Along with Cobain, Love maintained that Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
took her words out of context. Eventually, child welfare services
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
launched an investigation questioning their parenting abilities. The investigation was eventually dismissed, but not without a significant amount of legal wrangling and being removed from her parents' custody for a short time, beginning when she was two weeks old.
During Love's hospital stint in 2003, Cobain was put into the care of her grandmother. Cobain was returned to the custody of Love several months later. In late 2005, Hank Harrison, Love's father, prepared a brief petitioning a Los Angeles court for visitation rights to the minor child, but the petition was denied.
On December 11, 2009, a California Superior Court in Los Angeles appointed Wendy O'Connor, her paternal grandmother, and Kimberly Cobain, her father's sister, as temporary co-guardians of Frances. On December 16, 2009, it was reported that a judge had issued a related temporary restraining order, prohibiting Love from having any direct or indirect contact with her daughter. The papers were filed under the heading "motion to seal all documents … relating to a minor and allegations of domestic violence." Among those documents are Frances's medical records, according to the filing.
Other work
So far to date, Cobain has given five official interviews. In September 2005, a thirteen-year-old Cobain gave her first interview to Teen VogueTeen Vogue
Teen Vogue magazine began as a version of Vogue magazine for teenage girls. This US magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events.- Description :...
where she discussed her personal style and mentioned her parents. Another appeared in the January 2006 issue of i-D
I-D
i-D is a British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. i-D was founded by designer and former Vogue art director Terry Jones in 1980. The first issue was published in the form of a hand-stapled fanzine with text produced on a typewriter...
, where she expressed negativity over tabloid portrayals of her mother and was quoted as saying, "When you see a lot of lies about her in the tabloids, it can be hurtful."
In August 2006, she was photographed for Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
magazine in her father's famous brown cardigan and pajama pants as part of an article featuring children of rock stars in their parent's clothing. She explained, "I wore his pajamas because he got married in them to my mom in 1992 in Hawaii so I thought they would be cute if I wore them today. He was too lazy to put on a tux so he got married in pajamas!" In February 2008, she appeared in a photo spread for Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
. In July 2010, she spoke with Interview magazine about her art, following her debut exhibition in Los Angeles.
On October 27, 2011, it was announced that Cobain was engaged to Isaiah Silva (born 1985), a musician.
RIP Childhood Birthday Party
In September 2008, Cobain hosted a suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
-themed party at the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to celebrate a "RIP Childhood" 16th birthday. The event was funded by Love, and included a performance from Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence is an American musical group formed in New York in 1997. Their music has a mixed style including rap, punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno and industrial...
.
Journalism
Cobain worked as an internIntern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine from June to August 2008.
Music
Cobain appeared as a guest vocalist on the song "My Space" from the album Evelyn EvelynEvelyn Evelyn (album)
-CD:#"Evelyn Evelyn" - 4:36#"A Campaign of Shock and Awe" - 2:39#"The Tragic Events of September Part I" - 4:33#"Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn?" - 2:13#"Chicken Man" - 3:08#"Tragic Events Part II" - 11:11#"Sandy Fishnets" - 7:04#"Elephant Elephant" - 2:26...
by Evelyn Evelyn
Evelyn Evelyn
Evelyn Evelyn are a musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. According to the fictional backstory described by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters , Evelyn and Evelyn Neville, who were discovered in 2007 by Palmer and Webley...
, which was released March 30, 2010. Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
from Evelyn Evelyn
Evelyn Evelyn
Evelyn Evelyn are a musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. According to the fictional backstory described by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters , Evelyn and Evelyn Neville, who were discovered in 2007 by Palmer and Webley...
clarified that Cobain was one of some 20 artists who sang the same line and whose voices were mixed together in the recording.
Art
In July 2010, Cobain debuted a collection of artwork titled "Scumfuck" under the pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Fiddle Tim" at the La Luz de Jesus
La Luz de Jesus
La Luz de Jesus Gallery is a commercial art gallery located in Los Angeles, California. It is closely associated with the Lowbrow Art Movement, Kustom Kulture, and pop surrealism.-History:...
Gallery in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Fashion
Cobain modeled for Hedi SlimaneHedi Slimane
Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer of Tunisian, Italian-Brazilian origins. He studied political sciences , and Art History at the École du Louvre, and was also educated as a tailor...
for a web photo series released August 2nd, 2011. She also modeled for fashion photographer, Rocky Schenck in a series of 10 photographs.