Etty Lau Farrell (born Etty Lau; December 10, 1974) is an Asian American

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

and actress. She began working in the entertainment industry in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, appearing in numerous music videos as well as nationally televised award shows. Etty was part of the original

Pussycat Dolls Pussycat or Pussy Cat may refer to: * Cat, a domestic feline Music Bands * Pussycat (band), a Dutch country and pop group * The Pussycats, a 1960s Norwegian rock band * The Pussycats, a group signed to Kama Sutra Records Albums * ''Pussy Cats'', ...

, when the group, as a dance troupe, had a monthly residency at the

Viper Room The Viper Room is a nightclub and live music venue located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. It was established as The Viper Room in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp. The other part owner was Sal J ...

. In 1997, she toured with Jane’s Addiction on their "It’s my party tour", later dubbed the "Relapse Tour" where she met her future husband

Perry Farrell Perry Farrell (born Peretz Bernstein; March 29, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as part (one of the ...

. Etty's first major venture as a musician came in 2005 when she and

formed

Satellite Party Satellite Party was an alternative rock band formed by Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell following the break-up of Jane's Addiction in 2004. Other members included Carl Restivo (bass) and Farrell's wife, Etty Lau Farrell (backing singer an ...

. Their debut album went in at #24 on the

Billboard album chart The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

. In 2008, Etty's vocals featured on the Twilight soundtrack. In 2010, she was one of the stars of ''

Married to Rock ''Married to Rock'' is an American reality documentary television series on E! that debuted November 7, 2010. Synopsis The series focuses on the lives of the spouses of four rock musicians and also attempts to debunk common myths about the life ...

'', a TV series on the E! Network. In 2018, Etty formed the Performance entity named Kind Heaven Orchestra, releasing a full album on

BMG Records Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) was a division of a German media company Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on 1 October 2008. Although it was established in 1987, the music com ...

. In 2022, Etty began releasing her own solo music. Her debut single "He's a Rebel" was produced by husband

and featured well known artists,

Taylor Hawkins Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band in 1997, he ...

David Bryan David Bryan Rashbaum (born February 7, 1962) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the keyboard player for the rock band Bon Jovi, with which he also co-wrote songs and performed backing vocals. In 2018, Bryan was inducted into ...

and

Elliot Easton Elliot Easton (born Elliot Steinberg, December 18, 1953) is an American guitarist. He played lead guitar and sang backing vocals for The Cars, and his guitar solos are an integral part of the band's music. Easton has also recorded music as a so ...

Early life and career

Etty was born in

Kowloon, Hong Kong Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and th ...

, to a Cantonese father and a Shanghainese Mother. Her parents had a manufacturing and exporting company, supplying to brands such as

Pepe Jeans Pepe Jeans London is a denim and casual wear jeans brand established in the Portobello Road area of London in 1973, and now based in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Spain. Carlos Ortega was the CEO, and owns more than 20% of the company. History Pepe ...

and Unionbay. She attended St. Mary Canonian School in Tsim Sha Tsui, where she was raised. At the age of 10, her family moved to

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as a s ...

. She attended Bellevue High School, where she founded a dance team. She trained as a classical ballerina at the

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

in Hong Kong, then

Pacific Northwest Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is said to have the highest per capita attendance in the United States, with 11,000 subscribers in 2004. The company consists of 49 dan ...

, and

Cornish College of the Arts Cornish College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art college in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1914. History Cornish College of the Arts was founded in 1914 as the Cornish School of Music, by Nellie Cornish (1876–1956), a teacher of pi ...

in Seattle. At the age of 18, after winning a year-long scholarship to the Edge Performing Art Center in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, she relocated to

to pursue a professional dance career. After completing the year-long professional scholarship at EDGE PAC, Etty began working in Los Angeles, in the entertainment industry as a dancer. She appeared in music videos, commercials, and movies, working with artists such as

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

, Jewel,

Smash Mouth Smash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994, and was originally composed of Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass). With Harwell's depar ...

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

, as well as televised award shows, dancing with Madonna at the Grammys and Eric Benet at the Soul Train Awards. In 1999, Etty joined Mötley Crüe as a dancer on their North American leg "Greatest Hits" tour. Etty played Ginger, the love interest of the Red Power Ranger in the episode titled "A Red Romance". She also appeared in Hollywood Salome/Johnny 316, an experimental short film starring

Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born 1961) is an American actor and director. He has had supporting roles in films such as ''Arizona Dream'' (1993), ''The House of the Spirits'' (1993), ''Palookaville'' (1995), and '' The Funeral'' (1996). His lead roles include ...

Career

Jane's Addiction

In 1997, Etty was booked as a dancer on the Jane’s Addiction ''"Relapse Tour"'', which started a performance relationship that would span a couple of decades. With the exception of the Jane’s Addiction and Nine Inch Nails tour, dubbed the ''"NINJA tour"'', Etty has performed at every Jane’s Addiction show since 1997, including the Jubilee tour in 2001, the 'Strays' tour leading into the 2003

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...

tour. ''"The Great Escape Artist"'' tour in 2011, ''"Detour"'' in 2015, and the ''"Sterling Spoon Anniversary Tour"'' in 2016.

Lollapalooza

In 2005, Perry Farrell and the

William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent a ...

partnered with

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

-based company Capital Sports Entertainment (now

C3 Presents C3 Presents is a concert promotion, event production and artist management company based out of Austin, Texas. C3 also produces several multi-day festivals including Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in Ne ...

) and retooled the event into its current format as an annual festival in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In 2014,

Live Nation Entertainment Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...

bought a controlling interest in C3 Presents. Etty became co-chair on the board of directors, alongside Perry and six other partners from

and

LiveNation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainmen ...

Satellite Party and other music

Just over a year after the

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...

disbanded, Satellite Party played its first gig at the

Key Club Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. As a student-led organization, Key Club's goal is to encourage leadership through serving others. Key Club International is the hig ...

in 2005. Etty performed backing vocals, while husband Perry was lead singer,

Tony Kanal Tony Ashwin Kanal (born 27 August 1970) is a British-American musician, record producer, songwriter, and animal rights activist. Kanal is the bassist and co-writer for the American rock bands No Doubt and Dreamcar. His musical work outside of ...

on bass,

Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and businessman. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. He has also recorded ...

on guitar, Steve Ferlazzo on keyboard and Kevin Figueiredo on drums. A second performance quickly followed at

in 2005 at Grant Park,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on July 24, 2005. The debut album '' Ultra Payloaded'' was released on May 29, 2007. Satellite Party's only album featured many well-known musicians, including

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...

and

John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...

of the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

, Fergie of

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hil ...

, and New Order bassist

Peter Hook Peter Hook (born Woodhead; 13 February 1956) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...

. The album also featured unheard vocals from the late

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

on the track "Woman in the Window." The album received positive reviews and debuted in the

at number 24. Etty's vocals featured on the tracks "Awesome," "Celebrate," "Ultra Payloaded Satellite Party" and "Mr. Sunshine." A couple of months after the release of its first album, guitarist

decided to leave the band, with

Kevin Figueiredo Kevin "k-Figg" Figueiredo is an American drummer. Kevin began playing drums at the age of ten, when his grandfather bought him a drum kit. He has studied with jazz drummer Bob Gullotti "The Fringe" and Mike Mangini, who collectively exposed h ...

also leaving shortly afterward to reform Extreme, who themselves had a hiatus since 1996. Satellite Party themselves decided to have a hiatus when Jane's Addiction spoke about reforming in 2008. Etty's solo career began in the mid-2000s, originally when she started performing with

. In 2008, ''"Go All the Way (Into the Twilight)"'' featured Etty's vocals and was a track on the blockbuster film,

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this il ...

. She stood in for

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray ha ...

in the late 2000s and performed with

after Gray didn't arrive at the venue due to her flight being diverted due to bad weather. In May 2016, Etty performed with husband Perry at a tribute for

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood.

Kind Heaven Orchestra & solo career

In 2018, it was announced that a new orchestra would be forming, made up of rock legends from various bands.

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session musician, drummer, producer and songwriter. Biography Life and career Chamberlain was born in San Pedro, California on April 17, 1967. He began learning how to play the drums ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

with Chris Cheney and keyboardist Matt Rohde from

also part of the lineup. Kind Heaven Orchestra debuted at the first ever Bill Graham Festival of Lights. In 2019, husband

released new solo music and an album soon followed, titled Kind Heaven. Many of the tracks on the album featured Etty's vocals. The album reached 2nd position on ''Billboard'''s Heatseeker album chart. In January 2022, it was announced that Farrell would be releasing new music as a solo artist. Her debut single was a cover of

The Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including " There's No Other (Like My Baby)", ...

1962 track,

He's a Rebel "He's a Rebel" is a song written by Gene Pitney that was originally recorded by Vikki Carr and by the girl group the Blossoms. Produced by Phil Spector, the Blossoms' version was issued as a single credited to the Crystals, which topped the Bill ...

. The track was produced by husband

and also featured

from

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

from

and

from

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...

. She performed the track live at

in Chicago. On May 22, 2022,

had to pull out of performing at

Welcome to Rockville Welcome to Rockville is a four-day hard rock and heavy metal music festival. The festival is held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. History The first Welcome to Rockville was a one-day event held on Moth ...

after

Dave Navarro David Michael Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is an American guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Between 1993 and 1998, Navarro was the guitarist of the Red Hot Ch ...

was still unwell with

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

announced that

Porno for Pyros Porno for Pyros is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1992, following the break-up of Jane's Addiction. The band currently consists of former Jane's Addiction members Perry Farrell (vocals) and ...

would be reuniting for the first time in 26 years, with Etty on back-up vocals.

Heaven After Dark

In 2022, Etty launched ‘Heaven After Dark’ a new nightlife concert series created in partnership with her husband,

. Heaven After Dark focuses on iconic and up and coming musicians, performance artists and varietal acts to showcase alternative music, underground culture, and festival experiences into one event. The show's debut was in February 2022 in

at the 1926 room at the

Belasco Theater The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 and ...

and featured The Kind Heaven Orchestra supported by The Paranoyds and NIIS and local electronic artist Nedarb. In June 2022, Heaven After Dark announced their next show, Etty alongside her husband Perry Farrell reformed the original lineup of

(Martyn LeNobel - Bass, Peter DiStefano - Guitar, Stephen Perkins - Drummer) for the first time in 26 years, the performance included a special appearance from Guns N' Roses guitarist

Gilby Clarke Gilbert J. "Gilby" Clarke (born August 17, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He had a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour ...

, who performed the Jane’s Addiction songs 1% and Bad Shit. The event also featured performances from Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Starcrawler and Electronic artists Mana and Lira.

Porno for Pyros

In 2022, Etty debuted as a back up singer while the band performed for the first time in 26 years at

in Daytona Beach. She subsequently performed with the band at Belasco theatre in downtown LA, then the Metro in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, both shows were quickly sold out. In the Summer of 2022, Etty once again join the band on stage at the Flagship

in Chicago.

Personal life

Etty married

, lead singer of

in June 2002. They have two sons together, Hezron and Izzadore Farrell. Etty met husband and future bandmate

while she was a dancer on Jane's Addiction's Relapse tour in 1997. They started dating a couple of years later in 1999. The

songs "Wrong Girl", "Superhero", "To Match the Sun", and the unreleased "Cling to You" were written for Etty.

References

External links

Etty Lau Farrell at alivenotdead.comEtty Lau Farrell
on Myspace {{DEFAULTSORT:Lau Farrell, Etty Hong Kong emigrants to the United States American rock singers Women rock singers Singers from Washington (state) Living people 1974 births People from Bellevue, Washington Cornish College of the Arts alumni American musicians of Hong Kong descent American dancers of Asian descent American musicians of Chinese descent Dancers from Washington (state) 20th-century Hong Kong women singers Hong Kong dancers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers Satellite Party members Participants in American reality television series