Elizabeth Fraser

Elizabeth Fraser (born Elizabeth Davidson Fraser, 29 August 1963, Grangemouth^[1]) is a Scottish singer, best known for her vocal work as the Cocteau Twins' lead singer. Her melismatic vocal stylings and abstract, indecipherable lyrics have generated much debate over the years, but she has often been discreet on the matter when asked about it.^[2]

Fraser and Cocteau Twins

Fraser was the vocalist and lyricist in Cocteau Twins. The group was founded in 1981 in her hometown by Robin Guthrie and his friend Will Heggie. At the time, she was only 17 years old, and had never thought of herself as a singer. Guthrie and Heggie noticed her dancing at a club one night, and asked her to join their band.^[2] After an on-off phase, the band recorded some tracks which were sent as demos to John Peel and Ivo Watts-Russell of 4AD which led to their being signed by the London-based label and a successful career in music.^[3] Fraser and Guthrie formed an intimate relationship, the couple having a daughter, Lucy Belle, in 1989. Guthrie liberally used drugs and alcohol through the years,^[4] and Fraser suffered a nervous breakdown during the recording of Four-Calendar Café.^[5] Following the long string of turbulence the couple broke up in 1992, still opting to continue a musical relationship until 1998, when Cocteau Twins were finally disbanded. She also had an intense personal relationship with Jeff Buckley and recorded a duet with him entitled 'All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun', written by Buckley but never released commercially. She speaks candidly about their relationship in the BBC documentary, Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You.^[6]

Cocteau Twins were due to perform for the North American Coachella Festival on 30 April 2005. However, a statement issued 16 March 2005 by the band's management said: "It is with regret that Cocteau Twins announce they will not be performing at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival as had been planned. Due to personal reasons, member Elizabeth Fraser has decided that she is unable to participate in the reunion, and apologies for any inconvenience this has caused. No future plans for any reunion are currently being made. Our sincere thanks and apologies to all the fans and media who wrote to us expressing your enthusiasm and support.”

During the years of working as part of Cocteau Twins, Fraser also collaborated with numerous artists, appearing on 4AD house band This Mortal Coil's first release along with her bandmates, and providing one-off vocals for acts such as Felt, Dif Juz (Extractions LP), Orbital (Omen EP), the Future Sound of London (Lifeforms EP), the Wolfgang Press, Ian McCulloch and others.

Post-Cocteau partnerships

After the breakup of Cocteau Twins in 1998, Elizabeth Fraser continued to collaborate with a range of performers, including The Future Sound of London, Elliot Goldenthal, Craig Armstrong, Massive Attack (including extensive tours performing with the band in 2006), and Peter Gabriel's millennium project OVO.

She has subsequently contributed to the soundtracks of several films, such as, In Dreams, Cruel Intentions, The Winter Guest and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (also uncredited in the soundtrack of the Fellowship Of The Ring Extended Edition DVD), and has occasionally appeared as a guest artist on other musicians' projects.

In 2005, she also participated in Yann Tiersen's album Les Retrouvailles. She sings in two pieces: "Kala" and "Mary".

Solo career

Aside from the work with other artists, Fraser's solo career has been quiet. In 2000, a white label recording called Underwater was released in a limited edition of only 200 copies. She contributed a cover version of "At Last I am Free" (originally by '70s band Chic, covered by Robert Wyatt) on the 2003 album Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, a celebration of 25 year of Rough Trade Records. In 2004, Fraser was invited to participate in a unique audio exhibit, "Shhh...", at London's Victoria and Albert Museum for which she produced a piece called "Expectant Mood", which has not been made commercially available. Fraser has reportedly signed to Blanco y Negro Records^[7], but little is known about the progress of an officially released solo album. In December 2006 New Music Express magazine reported that her solo album was due for release in early 2007. The album would have contained eight tracks, one of which is to be a cover version. No titles were announced and the album was never released. Its current status is unknown.

In November 2009 it was announced that Fraser was releasing a solo single, '"Moses", available on 12" and download through Rough Trade. The single is a tribute to Fraser's friend and fellow musician, Jake Drake-Brockman.^[8]

Website

The official website Elizabethfraser.com was initially created by a fan, but was taken over by Elizabeth Fraser's management company on 22 March 2007. As of 17 November 2009 (2009 -11-17)^[update], the new site content is currently under construction.

Family

Elizabeth lives with her partner, musician Damon Reece (from the band Lupine Howl) in Bristol, England. She has two daughters, Lucy and Lily. Lucy Belle Guthrie is the daughter of Robin Guthrie, and she lived with her father in France until August 2006 when she moved in with her mother in Bristol to pursue her education at a local school.

Discography (1994 - 2006)

See also

• "Teardrop" (Massive Attack song)
• "Lifeforms" (Future Sound of London song)
• "In Dreams" (Elliot Goldenthal score)

References

External links

• ElizabethFraser.com, Official website
• 2009 Interview with Fraser, her first in a decade. The Guardian 26 November 2009
• Cocteau Twins, Official website of Cocteau Twins
• Official Cocteau Twins Fan website (cocteautwins.org)
• Official Cocteau Twins Forums (cocteautwinsforums.com)
• Official Cocteau Twins Festival (cocteaufest.com)