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Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. Born in
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
, Phair was raised primarily in the
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
area. After graduating from
Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
; however, she returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly-Sound. The tapes led to a recording contract with the independent record label
Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City ap ...
. Phair's 1993 debut studio album, '' Exile in Guyville'', was released to acclaim; it has been ranked by ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Phair followed this with her second album, '' Whip-Smart'' (1994), which earned her a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and '' Whitechocolatespaceegg'' (1998). Ten years after the release of her debut, Phair's fourth album, '' Liz Phair'' (2003), released on
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
, moved towards
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
, earning her a mainstream audience but alienating critics; the single " Why Can't I?" peaked at number 32 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. After the release of her fifth album, '' Somebody's Miracle'' (2005), Phair left Capitol and released her sixth album '' Funstyle'' independently in 2010. In 2018, it was announced that Matador Records would be releasing a retrospective set for Phair's debut album ''Exile in Guyville'', which includes remastered recordings from her original Girly Sound demo tapes. Phair released her seventh studio album, '' Soberish'', in 2021. As of 2011, Phair had sold over three million records worldwide.


Early life

Phair was born in
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
, on April 17, 1967. She was adopted at birth by Nancy, a historian and museologist, and John Phair, later an
AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
researcher and head of infectious diseases at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; her mother later worked as a
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
at the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
. She has one older brother, also adopted. On being adopted, Phair has said: "My parents were very responsible ... They were perfect about it ... I've never tried to find y biologicalparents. My friend who was adopted from the same home requested information and got back a four-page letter about her mother's life. She said it was jaw-dropping." Phair was raised as a Christian. Phair spent her early life in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
until age nine, when her family relocated to the
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
suburb of Winnetka, Illinois. She graduated from New Trier High School in 1985. During high school, Phair was involved in student government,
yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...
, and the cross country team, and took AP Studio Art her senior year, among other advanced-level classes. She attended
Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
in Oberlin,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, where she graduated in 1990 with a B.A. in art history.


Career


1990–1992: Girly Sound tapes

Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw was dating one of Phair's friends, and stayed at their loft in SoMa one weekend. After living in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
for a year, Phair went broke and returned to
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, moving back in to her family's home. There, she began writing lyrics and playing guitar, recording songs on a four-track tape recorder in her bedroom. She used the name Girly Sound on these recordings. She became part of the alternative music scene in Chicago and became friends with
Material Issue Material Issue was an American power pop trio from Chicago, Illinois. The band's trademark is pop songs with themes of love and Broken heart, heartbreak. A number of their song titles used women's first names. History Material Issue was formed ...
and Urge Overkill, two of Chicago's upstart bands to go national in the early 1990s, as well as
Brad Wood Brad Wood is an American record producer and sound engineer based in Los Angeles. He has produced many albums, including Liz Phair's ''Exile in Guyville'' and Placebo (band), Placebo's Placebo (Placebo album), self-titled debut. Career W ...
and John Henderson, head of Feel Good All Over, an independent label in Chicago.


1992–2003: ''Exile in Guyville''; critical recognition

After asking Wood who the "coolest" indie label was, Phair called up Gerard Cosloy, co-president of
Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City ap ...
, in 1992 and she asked him if he would put out her record. Coincidentally, Cosloy had just read a review of Girly Sound in ''Chemical Imbalance'' that very day and told Phair to send him a tape. Phair sent him a tape of six Girly Sound songs. Cosloy recalls: "The songs were amazing. It was a fairly primitive recording, especially compared to the resulting album. The songs were really smart, really funny, and really harrowing, sometimes all at the same time. ... I liked it a lot and played it for everybody else. We usually don't sign people we haven't met, or heard other records by, or seen as performers. But I had a hunch, and I called her back and said O.K." Cosloy offered a $3,000 advance, and Phair began working on a single, which turned into the 18 songs of '' Exile in Guyville''. ''Exile in Guyville'' was produced by Phair and Brad Wood, and released in 1993. The album received uniformly excellent reviews. The album received significant critical acclaim for its blunt, honest lyrics and for the music itself, a hybrid of
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
and
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
, and established Phair's penchant for exploring sexually explicit lyrics. By contrast, her trademark low,
vibrato Vibrato (Italian language, Italian, from past participle of "wikt:vibrare, vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch (music), pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. ...
-less monotone voice gave many of her songs a slightly detached, almost deadpan character. The release of Phair's second album received substantial media attention and an advertising blitz. '' Whip-Smart'' debuted at #27 in 1994 and "Supernova," the first single, became a Top 10 modern rock hit, and the video was frequently featured on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. Phair also landed the cover of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' with the headline "A Rock Star Is Born." The album received positive reviews, although not as acclaimed as the debut, but was certified
Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
(shipments of at least 500,000 units). It ultimately did not sell as well as expected, as it was hoped the album would introduce Phair to a wider, more mainstream audience. Following ''Whip-Smart'', Phair released ''
Juvenilia Juvenilia are literary, musical or artistic works produced by authors during their youth. Written juvenilia, if published at all, usually appear as retrospective publications, some time after the author has become well known for later works. Bac ...
'', a collection of some early Girly Sound tracks and several B-sides, including her cover of the 1980 song by The Vapors, " Turning Japanese." In 1994, Phair made several live television and radio appearances in an effort to promote '' Exile in Guyville'' and '' Whip-Smart''; she appeared on ''
Late Show With David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
'' performing " Never Said" and "Supernova", and on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...
'' performing an acoustic version of "Whip-Smart". She also performed "Alice Springs" live on ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...
''. She also appeared on the MTV alternative rock show ''
120 Minutes ''120 Minutes'' is a television program in the United States dedicated to the Alternative rock, alternative music genre, that originally aired on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then aired on MTV's associate channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003. After it ...
'' performing "Never Said", "6'1", "Cinco de Mayo" and "Supernova" live at various times during 1994 and early 1995. Phair's third album, '' Whitechocolatespaceegg'', was released in 1998 after some delays, which included a disagreement about content; at one point, Matador rejected the album as submitted, and asked Phair to write a few additional radio-friendly songs for the set. The album displayed a more mature Phair, and reflected some of the ways marriage and motherhood affected her. While the single " Polyester Bride" received some airplay, and the album received many positive reviews, it was no more successful commercially than her previous records. To promote the record, Phair joined
Lilith Fair Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride (CEO), Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during ...
. Phair performed on the main stage along with acts like
Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...
,
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
,
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
and
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
. She also opened for
Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...
on her 1999 Junkie Tour. Phair portrayed the role of office manager Brynn Allen opposite Robin Tunney in the 2002 film '' Cherish''.


2003–2007: ''Liz Phair'' and ''Somebody's Miracle''

Phair provided backing vocals on the 2003
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
single "
Soak Up the Sun "Soak Up the Sun" is a song by American singer Sheryl Crow. She and her longtime co-writer Jeff Trott wrote the song following a conversation they had during a plane flight, when they discussed the changing weather as they flew to New York City ...
". In 2003, Phair released her self-titled fourth album on her new label,
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
. It departed from Phair's earlier
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
sound for more polished pop production and songwriting. Phair said she wanted to earn more money from her work, and hired
the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
, who had produced songs by pop acts including
Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is a key musician in popularizing pop-punk music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. List of awa ...
, to create some songs, including the singles " Extraordinary" and " Why Can't I?" ''Liz Phair'' debuted at #27 on the ''Billboard'' 200. "Why Can't I?" entered the
Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...
and
Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
charts, and its music video placed Phair in heavy rotation on
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
for the first time. It received mixed reviews, including negative reviews from the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'', who accused Phair of
selling out To "sell out" is to compromise one's integrity, morality, Authenticity (philosophy), authenticity, or Principle#As moral law, principles in exchange for personal gain, such as money or power. In terms of music or art, selling out is associated w ...
and mimicking younger artists. In 2019, the ''Pitchfork'' critic Matt LeMay apologized for his review, saying he had failed to appreciate Phair's willingness to "try on different masks". '' Somebody's Miracle'', Phair's fifth album and final with Capitol Records, was released in 2005. It returned to a rock sound. The album received mixed reviews, with Amy Phillips of ''Pitchfork'' writing: "Now this is a terrible Liz Phair record. ''Somebody's Miracle'' is mostly generic pap that any number of next-big-has-beens could have cranked out, a useless piece of plastic poking a pointy heel in the eye of the carcass of the artist Liz once was." Phillips also suggested it was worse than her largely critically derided previous album. A review published by
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
found the album "less blatantly commercial han her previous but still smooth, reflecting her increasing shift toward a clearer sound". In 2006, she performed one her songs at the end of an episode of TV series
Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadc ...
(season 8, episode 8).


2008–2009: television composing

Phair signed with
Dave Matthews David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is an American musician and the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved frequently between South Africa, ...
' label ATO Records in early 2008 and re-released '' Exile in Guyville'' on June 24, 2008, on CD, vinyl, and in digital format, featuring three songs from the original recording sessions, "Ant in Alaska," "Say You," and an untitled instrumental, and also a documentary DVD, "Guyville Redux." " In May 2009, Phair released a new song, "Faith and Tenderness," sold exclusively at Banana Republic on a compilation disc featuring other artists. Also in 2009, Phair began working as a television composer, following an invitation by her childhood friend Mike Kelley to score the show he was creating for CBS, '' Swingtown'', given it was based on the life in their hometown. For the task, Phair decided to bring in Doc Dauer, producer of a children's album about bodily functions, ''The Body Rocks'', where Phair performed after being brought in by
Pete Yorn Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, '' Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is ...
, and Dauer's creative partner
Evan Frankfort Evan Frankfort (born December 13, 1970) is an American composer and music producer. He has composed music for many shows and films including '' Rules of Engagement'', '' Swingtown'', '' In Plain Sight'', and '' 90210''. He is perhaps most well k ...
. She followed it by creating the theme song for
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's '' The Weber Show'', and working for the CW's '' The 100'', the USA Network show '' In Plain Sight'' and the CW reboot of '' 90210'', for which she won the 2009 ASCAP award for Top Television Composer.


2010–2015: ''Funstyle''

On July 3, 2010, Phair's official website announced a surprise link to download her new album '' Funstyle'', which she released independently after parting ways with Capitol Records and ATO. The song "
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
" was available to stream from the site for a limited time, before Phair took it down. A note from Phair to her fans posted on her official website explained why the songs were problematic: Phair revealed in an interview with the ''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' that the falling out with her record label, ATO, occurred after a change in management. She explained, "The people who were still there didn't like, or didn't know what to do with, the music I was making, so we just stalled out and I asked to leave." Phair went on tour to promote the album, playing many songs from ''Guyville'' and ''Whip-Smart'', along with songs from the rest of her repertoire. The Funstyle Tour ran from October 2010 to March 2011. The tour's last show took place at the
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
festival in Austin, Texas. In 2012, she co-wrote and performed the song "Dotted Line" with
A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...
for the film '' People Like Us''. "The song 'Dotted Line' I wrote with A. R. Rahman for Alex Kurtzman's film 'Welcome To People'," she said in an interview. "Both amazing. 'Welcome To People' is a truly powerful film. Very proud of being part of it." The dystopian holiday song "Ho Ho Ho" was released by Phair in late 2014. In 2014, Capitol released a greatest hits compilation of Phair's work entitled ''Icon''.


2016–Present: Guyville retrospective, Soberish and recent tours

In spring of 2016, Phair performed as the opening act for
The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
on their ''In Plainsong'' tour. In late 2015 and mid-2016, Phair stated on her Twitter that she intended to release two albums by the end of 2016. It was confirmed via Twitter that Phair was working on a double album, produced by fellow singer-songwriter
Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...
in his PAX-AM recording studio. Phair's project with Adams did not proceed. When multiple women publicly disclosed accusations of abuse against Adams in 2019, a Twitter user asked Phair for a comment about Adams, to which she replied, "My experience was nowhere near as personally involving, but yes the record ended and the similarities are upsetting." In 2018, it was announced that Phair's former label, Matador, would be releasing a 25th-anniversary retrospective set for her debut album, ''Exile in Guyville''. The set, titled ''Girly Sound to Guyville'', included remasters of Phair's 1991 demo tapes recorded under the moniker Girly Sound from the original sources, and was released May 4, 2018. In support of this retrospective, Phair embarked on two North American tours — the ''Girly Sound to Guyville Tour'' and the ''Amps on the Lawn Tour''. Phair continued to tour through the summer of 2019. In April 2019, Phair announced on
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
that she had been working on new studio material with
Brad Wood Brad Wood is an American record producer and sound engineer based in Los Angeles. He has produced many albums, including Liz Phair's ''Exile in Guyville'' and Placebo (band), Placebo's Placebo (Placebo album), self-titled debut. Career W ...
, who produced ''Exile in Guyville'', ''Whip-Smart'', and parts of ''whitechocolatespaceegg''. On October 8, 2019, Phair shared "Good Side," a song from these sessions. Her seventh album, '' Soberish'', with Wood as producer, was later announced for release in 2021. In April 2020, the release of a cover version of " Hanging on the Telephone" by Phair with former friend and collaborator Jim Ellison of
Material Issue Material Issue was an American power pop trio from Chicago, Illinois. The band's trademark is pop songs with themes of love and Broken heart, heartbreak. A number of their song titles used women's first names. History Material Issue was formed ...
was announced. Recorded before Ellison's death in 1996, the song, originally released by
The Nerves The Nerves were an American power pop trio, formed in San Francisco in 1974 and later based in Los Angeles, featuring guitarist Jack Lee (musician), Jack Lee, bassist Peter Case, and drummer Paul Collins (musician), Paul Collins. All three memb ...
in 1976 and also covered by Blondie, was to be released along with a documentary entitled ''Out of Time: The Material Issue Story''. Phair and Ellison previously teamed in the 1990s on covers of " Turning Japanese" and " The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)". In February 2021, Phair announced she had signed a contract with newly re-formed
Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British independent record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ell ...
to issue her album '' Soberish'' later in the year. The album was released that June, produced by Brad Wood. It garnered some of Phair's strongest reviews since ''Guyville''. ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' called the album "a solid, sharply written record of sturdy, enjoyable songs that gradually unfold to reveal new depths of feeling." In ''Rolling Stone'', Jon Dolan wrote that ''Soberish'' "brings to mind the glory of ''Guyville'' and its 1994 follow-up, ''Whip-Smart'', without feeling at all like self-conscious recapitulation." A review by El Hunt in the
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
stated that "''Soberish'' serves as a reminder of Liz Phair's brilliance after years of underestimation. Far from simply drawing on her most critically acclaimed albums, it draws on the whole lot, and finds newness within." Phair was due to tour later in 2021 as part of
Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...
's rescheduled 2020 tour, but canceled for undisclosed reasons. She did end up touring in the fall of 2023 for the 30th anniversary of ''Exile in Guyville'', where she would perform the album in its entirety alongside several other fan favorites. In August 2024, Phair officially announced a publishing deal with
Warner Chappell Music Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalog consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 150,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...
.


Personal life

In 1994, Phair began dating film editor Jim Staskauskas. The couple married on March 11, 1995; their son James Nicholas Staskauskas was born on December 21, 1996. In 2001, Phair and Staskauskas divorced, after which Phair sold her home in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood and relocated to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California. As of 2018, Phair resides in
Manhattan Beach, California Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Coastal California, Pacific coast south of El Segundo, California, El Segundo, west of Hawthorne, California, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach, and north ...
. She identifies as a feminist, and ''Exile in Guyville'' has been said to capture "the voice of
third-wave feminism Third-wave feminism is a feminist movement that began in the early 1990s, prominent in the decades prior to the fourth-wave feminism, fourth wave. Grounded in the civil-rights advances of the second-wave feminism, second wave, Generation X, Gen X ...
."


Books

An April 2018 profile by ''Billboard'' revealed that Phair had signed a two-book publishing deal with
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
. ''Horror Stories,'' the first of two planned memoirs, saw release on October 8, 2019. Reviews of ''Horror Stories'' were generally favorable with several reviewers noting Phair's skills as a writer and her stark honesty in the book. Her second memoir will be called ''Fairy Tales.''


Discography

* '' Exile in Guyville'' (1993) * '' Whip-Smart'' (1994) * '' Whitechocolatespaceegg'' (1998) * '' Liz Phair'' (2003) * '' Somebody's Miracle'' (2005) * '' Funstyle'' (2010) * '' Soberish'' (2021)


Awards


See also

*
List of Oberlin College and Conservatory people This list of Oberlin College and Conservatory people contains links to Wikipedia articles about notable alumni of and other people connected to Oberlin College, including the Conservatory of Music and the Graduate School of Theology. Notable ...


References


Works cited

* * *


External links

*
Liz Phair fansite, independently operated
*
Liz Phair
on '' ATO Records'' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phair, Liz 1967 births Living people American adoptees American feminists American indie rock musicians American mezzo-sopranos American pop rock singers American rock guitarists American rock songwriters American women rock singers American women singer-songwriters ATO Records artists Matador Records artists American rhythm guitarists Singers from Chicago New Trier High School alumni Oberlin College alumni People from Winnetka, Illinois Singers from Cincinnati Singer-songwriters from Ohio Guitarists from Chicago Guitarists from Ohio 21st-century American women singers 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American singer-songwriters Chrysalis Records artists 20th-century American women guitarists Singer-songwriters from Illinois