Brett Elizabeth Anderson (born May 30, 1979 in
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...
, United States) is an American singer and was the lead vocalist of rock band
The Donnas
The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1993. The band consisted of Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Allison Robertson (guitar, backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Torry Castellano (drums ...
. She previously went by the name Donna A.
Early life
Anderson was born on May 30, 1979, in
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...
. She moved to
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...
in the seventh grade. She met her bandmates
Torry Castellano
Torrance Heather Castellano (born January 8, 1979) is an American percussionist and the former drummer of The Donnas. She announced her retirement from drumming in July 2010.
About
Castellano was born in San Francisco, California. She met fu ...
,
Maya Ford
Maya Anne Ford (born January 8, 1979, in Oakland, California) is an American musician and the former bass player of rock band The Donnas. She also goes by the name Donna F.
Early life
Maya Anne Ford, was born on January 8, 1979, in Oakland, C ...
and
Allison Robertson
Allison Rae Robertson (born August 26, 1979) is an American musician and the former guitarist for rock bands The Donnas and Chelsea Girls.
Early life
Allison Robertson was born on August 26, 1979, in North Hollywood, California. She comes from ...
in junior high school. They formed a band in eighth grade called ''Ragady Anne'', later calling themselves ''The Electrocutes'' at Palo Alto High School.
Other work
Anderson appeared on the album ''Brats on the Beat: Ramones for Kids'' singing "California Sun". Anderson is featured in the songs "Party Til We Die" by
The Leftovers, "Hey There Ophelia" by
MC Lars
Andrew Robert Nielsen (born October 6, 1982), known professionally as MC Lars, is an American record producer, rapper, cartoonist, podcaster and educator. Lars is one of the self-proclaimed originators of "lit-hop", and is the founder and CEO of ...
, and "Who's to Blame" and "My War" by Sugar Knives and has performed with Camp Freddy. Since The Donnas' hiatus in 2012 Anderson has begun singing in a few different bands under the names Born Angry, Alpha Beta and The Stripminers. In 2014, Anderson co-wrote and recorded soundtracks for
Fitbit
Fitbit (stylized as fitbit) is an American consumer electronics and fitness company. It produces wireless-enabled wearable technology, physical fitness monitors and activity trackers such as smartwatches, pedometers and monitors for heart rate ...
's "It's All Fit" campaign and the "Nissan Versa in Motion" commercial. Anderson also co-wrote and performed the music in the trailer for Edward Hemingway's "Bad Apple's Perfect Day".
In 2019, Anderson was completing a degree in psychology at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
. In 2021, she had earned a
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social wor ...
degree at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. and was working toward a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
at the
USC Davis School of Gerontology
The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology is one of the seventeen academic divisions of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, focusing in undergraduate and graduate programs in gerontology,
History
Founded in 1975, the Leon ...
.
In 2023, she provided lead vocals on the theme song of
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
's
That 90's Show
''That '90s Show'' is an upcoming American television period teen sitcom set during the summer of 1995, featuring characters and locales which debuted in its predecessor, ''That '70s Show.'' It is set to premiere on Netflix on January 19, 2023. ...
.
References
External links
*
*
*Billboard Magazine Article
"Why Girl Groups Rule: The Donnas' Brett Anderson On Why 'Being a Girl' Isn't A Genre"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Brett
1979 births
Living people
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American singers
American women rock singers
American punk rock singers
American rock singers
Women punk rock singers
Musicians from Bloomington, Indiana
Singers from Indiana
The Donnas members