Britta Phillips (born June 11, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actress. Phillips' music career spans more than 30 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s as the singing voice of the title character of the animated television series '' Jem''. With her husband, Dean Wareham, she has also been a member of the bands Luna and is one half of the duo Dean & Britta; she has also had a solo career, which has included one studio album, ''Luck or Magic'' (2016). Phillips has also been a film, television, and voice actress, including a co-starring role in the 1988 music comedy-drama film '' Satisfaction'' and multiple voice acting roles on the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

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and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

animated television series '' Moral Orel'' and ''

Mary Shelley's Frankenhole ''Mary Shelley's Frankenhole'' is an American adult stop-motion animated television series created by Dino Stamatopoulos. The series premiered on June 27, 2010 on Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. It ended on March 25, 2 ...

''.

Early life

Britta Phillips was born in Boyne City, Michigan, but grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Her father, Peter, was a musician, songwriter, jingle composer, and a former music teacher of

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

; he also worked on several Broadway plays. At the age of 19, Phillips moved to Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, to pursue a career in music. In 1985, Phillips' father, through his musical contacts, secured an audition for her for the role of "Jem". Phillips was hired on the strength of her demo for

the show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** Sp ...

's theme song, and that version was the one used in its opening credits.

Music career

Phillips was a member of the bands The Belltower, Ultrababyfat, and the Christine Keeler Affair in the 1990s, and Luna from 2001 to 2005. Since then, Phillips has released albums with fellow Luna bandmate Dean Wareham as the duo Dean & Britta. 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 composed original score for the Noah Baumbach films '' Mistress America'' and '' The Squid and the Whale'', and the

Morgan J. Freeman Morgan J. Freeman (born December 5, 1969) is an American film director. In 1997, his debut feature, '' Hurricane Streets'', won three awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Early life and education Freeman was born and raised in Long Beach, ...

film '' Just Like the Son''. Their song "Knives From Bavaria" (from ''Sonic Souvenirs'') appears in the

Olivier Assayas Olivier Assayas (born 25 January 1955) is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his slow-burning period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs and French comedies. His work has become synonymous with the ...

film, ''Clean'', starring

Maggie Cheung Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong former actress. Raised in Hong Kong and Britain, she started her career after placing second in 1983's Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She achieved critical success in the late 1980s and in ...

. 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, Phillips 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 MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

single " It's Working" from their album '' Congratulations''. 2016 saw the release of her long-awaited debut solo album, ''Luck or Magic''. It contains five covers, along with five original songs.

Acting career

Phillips' first acting job was as the singing voice of the lead character in the animated series '' Jem'', alongside actress and singer

Samantha Newark Samantha Newark (born 27 June 1967) is an English-born American musician, singer and actress. She is best known for her voice-over work as the speaking voice of Jem and Jerrica in the animated cartoon series '' Jem''. As a teenager, Newark became ...

, who provided Jem's speaking voice. The series ran from 1985 to 1988. In 1988, she co-starred in the teen rock band movie '' Satisfaction'', which also starred Justine Bateman, Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson, Trini Alvarado, and Scott Coffey; the film is primarily known today as Julia Roberts' first credited big-screen role. Phillips performed several songs during the movie and is featured on the soundtrack album. Also in 1988, she guest-starred on the cult TV show '' Crime Story'', in the episode "Always a Blonde"; she played a former homecoming queen turned high-class escort in Las Vegas, Nevada. She followed that with 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 (AS; stylized as

series '' Moral Orel'', most notably 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 ''

'', most noticeably Elizabeth Frankenstein. Both ''Moral Orel'' and ''Mary Shelley's Frankenhole'' were created by Dino Stamatopoulos. In 2010, Phillips appeared alongside Wareham on '' Yo Gabba Gabba!'', in the episode titled "Ride". Phillips had a cameo, along with Dean Wareham, in the 2012 Noah Baumbach film '' Frances Ha'', written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig.

Radio and podcast appearances

Phillips appeared on Ken Reid's ''TV Guidance Counselor'' podcast on December 9, 2016.

Personal life

Phillips married musician Jody Porter, but the couple later divorced. In 2006, she married musician and Luna bandmate Dean Wareham during the recording sessions for their album ''Back Numbers''.

Discography

Solo album Singles

References

External links

Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips official website

Luna official website
* * *
''Men's Vogue'' interview with Dean and Britta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Britta Living people 1963 births American film actresses American voice actresses Actresses from Pennsylvania Luna (1990s American band) members Actresses from Michigan People from Boyne City, Michigan People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania 21st-century American actresses American television actresses 20th-century American actresses American film score composers Singers from Pennsylvania Singers from Michigan American women guitarists Women bass guitarists 20th-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American bass guitarists Guitarists from Michigan Guitarists from Pennsylvania 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American composers 21st-century American women musicians 20th-century women composers 20th-century American singers