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 Dean Wareham (born 1 August 1963) is an American musician and actor who formed the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. He left Galaxie 500 in April 1991 and founded the band Luna. Since Luna's breakup in 2005, Wareham has released albums with fellow Lun ...

, she has also been a member of the bands

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roma ...

and is one half of the duo

Dean & 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 Harwo ...

; 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 dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

animated television series ''

Moral Orel ''Moral Orel'' is an American adult stop-motion animated sitcom created by Dino Stamatopoulos which originally aired on Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim from December 13, 2005 to December 18, 2008. The series has been d ...

'' and '' Mary Shelley's Frankenhole''.

Early life

Britta Phillips was born in Boyne City,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, but grew up in

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Her father, Peter, was a musician, songwriter, jingle composer, and a former music teacher of Paul Simon; he also worked on several

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

plays. At the age of 19, Phillips moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, 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'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 The 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 The band was formed by singers/guitarists Britta Phillips and Jody Port ...

, Ultrababyfat, and the Christine Keeler Affair in the 1990s, and

from 2001 to 2005. Since then, Phillips has released albums with fellow Luna bandmate Dean Wareham as the duo

. Wareham, a former member of the band

Galaxie 500 Galaxie 500 was an American alternative rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums: ''Today'', '' On Fire'' and '' This Is Our Music''. The band was made up of guitarist/vocalist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon ...

, toured with Phillips in 2010, performing the band's back catalog. Phillips has also toured with

Ben Lee Benjamin Michael Lee (born 11 September 1978) is an Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but he focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appe ...

. Phillips and Wareham have also composed original score for the

Noah Baumbach Noah Baumbach () (born September 3, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. He is known for making witty and intellectual comedies set in New York City and has often been compared to writer-directors such as Woody Allen and Whit St ...

films ''

Mistress America ''Mistress America'' is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Noah Baumbach. It was written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, and stars Gerwig and Lola Kirke. The film was released on August 14, 2015, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Plot College fre ...

'' and ''

The Squid and the Whale ''The Squid and the Whale'' is a 2005 American independent comedy-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' divorc ...

'', and the Morgan J. Freeman film '' Just Like the Son''. Their song "Knives From Bavaria" (from ''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 Marco Ponti (born 25 July 1967, in Avigliana, Piedmont) is an Italian film director. Life and career He graduated in Modern Letters at the University of Turin and started working as a copywriter and as an assistant at the Faculty of Semiotics a ...

. In 2001, Phillips provided vocals on the

Anika Moa Anika Rose Moa (born 21 May 1980) is a New Zealand recording artist and television presenter. Her debut album '' Thinking Room'', was released in September 2001, which reached number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and provided two T ...

album '' Thinking Room''. In 2007, Phillips produced and recorded a cover of

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

'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 "It's Working" is the third single released from the album ''Congratulations'' by MGMT. The album covers were made by So Me. Sonic Boom's commentary on the track, before the ''Congratulations'' sessions at the Blanker Unsinn Studio on 2010, is ...

" from their album ''

Congratulations Congratulations may refer to: Film and television *'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary Music Albums * ''Congratulations'' (album), an album by ...

''. 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, 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 Justine Tanya Bateman (born February 19, 1966) is an American writer, director and producer. Her former acting work includes ''Family Ties'', '' Satisfaction'', '' Men Behaving Badly'', ''The TV Set'', ''Desperate Housewives'', and '' Californ ...

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...

Trini Alvarado Trinidad "Trini" Alvarado (born January 10, 1967) is an American actress best known for her performances as Margaret "Meg" March in the 1994 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel ''Little Women'' and Lucy Lynskey in the comedy/horror fi ...

, 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 Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. 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

series ''

'', 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 '' Mary Shelley's Frankenhole'', most noticeably Elizabeth Frankenstein. Both ''Moral Orel'' and ''Mary Shelley's Frankenhole'' were created by

Dino Stamatopoulos Konstantinos Pollux Alexandros "Dino" Stamatopoulos (born December 14, 1964) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He has worked on TV programs such as ''Mr. Show'', '' TV Funhouse'', '' Mad TV'', '' The Dana Carvey Show'', ''Late Show wi ...

. In 2010, Phillips appeared alongside Wareham on ''

Yo Gabba Gabba! ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...

'', in the episode titled "Ride". Phillips had a cameo, along with

, in the 2012

film ''

Frances Ha ''Frances Ha'' is a 2012 American black and white comedy-drama film, directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig. Gerwig also plays the title role, a struggling 27-year-old dancer. The film premiered at the Telluride Film ...

'', written by Baumbach and

Greta Gerwig Greta Celeste Gerwig (; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and director. She first garnered attention after working on and appearing in several mumblecore films. Between 2006 and 2009, she appeared in a number of films ...

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 Jody Porter (born May 25, 1969) is an American musician. He was the lead guitarist of Grammy Award-nominated power pop band Fountains of Wayne. The band released four major label albums, including ''Welcome Interstate Managers'' on Virgin Reco ...

, 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