Liz Phair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Liz Phair
Phair performing live in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Elizabeth Clark Phair
Also known as	Girly-Sound
Born	(1967-04-17) April 17, 1967 (age 58) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Indie rock lo-fi alternative rock pop rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Warner Chappell Chrysalis Matador Rocket Science ATO Capitol PAX AM

Elizabeth "Liz" Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer and songwriter famous for her work in rock music. She grew up near Chicago and started her music career after college.

In the early 1990s, she recorded songs on cassette tapes in her bedroom under the name Girly-Sound. These tapes got her a record deal with the independent label Matador Records.

Her first album, Exile in Guyville (1993), was a huge success with critics. Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. She followed it with more albums, including Whip-Smart (1994), which earned her a Grammy Award nomination.

In 2003, her fourth album, Liz Phair, had a more pop-rock sound. The single "Why Can't I?" became a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Over her career, Phair has sold more than three million records around the world.

Early Life

Liz Phair was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on April 17, 1967. She was adopted by Nancy and John Phair. Her father was a doctor who researched AIDS, and her mother was a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago. Liz also has an older brother who was also adopted.

Her family moved to the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinois, when she was nine. In high school, she was involved in student government, the yearbook, and the cross-country running team. She graduated from New Trier High School in 1985. After high school, she went to Oberlin College in Ohio, where she studied art history and graduated in 1990.

Music Career

1990–1992: The Girly-Sound Tapes

After college, Phair moved to San Francisco to start a music career. She soon returned to her family's home in Illinois. There, she began writing songs and recording them on a simple four-track tape recorder in her bedroom. She called these recordings Girly-Sound.

She became friends with bands in the Chicago music scene, like Material Issue and Urge Overkill. These connections helped her get noticed in the music world.

1992–2003: Breakthrough with 'Exile in Guyville'

In 1992, Phair sent a tape of her Girly-Sound songs to Matador Records, an independent record label. The co-president of the label, Gerard Cosloy, was very impressed. He said the songs were "really smart, really funny, and really harrowing, sometimes all at the same time."

Matador Records gave her a contract, and she began working on her first album. The result was Exile in Guyville, released in 1993. The album was praised by critics for its honest and direct lyrics. Phair's unique singing style, a low and steady voice, also made her stand out.

Her second album, Whip-Smart (1994), was also a success. The single "Supernova" was a modern rock hit, and its video played often on MTV. Phair even appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The album sold over 500,000 copies.

In 1998, she released her third album, Whitechocolatespaceegg. This album showed a more mature side of Phair, with songs about marriage and motherhood. To promote the album, she performed at the Lilith Fair music festival alongside artists like Sarah McLachlan and Sheryl Crow.

2003–2007: A New Pop Sound

Phair in concert, October 26, 2005

In 2003, Phair released her fourth album, Liz Phair, on Capitol Records. For this album, she worked with producers known for making pop hits for artists like Avril Lavigne. This gave her music a more polished, pop-friendly sound.

The album included the hit single "Why Can't I?", which was very popular on the radio and on the TV channel VH1. However, the album received mixed reviews. Some critics felt she was moving too far away from her original indie rock style.

Her fifth album, Somebody's Miracle (2005), had more of a rock sound again. Like her previous album, it received mixed reviews from music critics.

2008–2015: TV Music and 'Funstyle'

In 2008, Phair began a new chapter in her career: writing music for television. Her childhood friend, Mike Kelley, asked her to compose music for his show Swingtown. She also created theme songs and music for other shows, including the reboot of 90210.

On July 3, 2010, Phair surprised her fans by releasing a new album called Funstyle on her website. She released it independently after leaving her record label. In a note to her fans, she explained that the songs were very personal and represented her own unique view of the world.

She toured to promote the album, playing new songs as well as old favorites from her earlier albums.

2016–Present: Looking Back and Moving Forward

In 2018, Matador Records released Girly Sound to Guyville. This special 25th-anniversary set included remastered versions of her original 1991 demo tapes. To support the release, Phair went on tour across North America, playing her classic songs for fans.

Phair began working on new music with Brad Wood, the producer of her first albums. Her seventh album, Soberish, was released in June 2021. The album was a success with critics. Pitchfork called it "a solid, sharply written record," and Rolling Stone said it brought to mind the "glory" of her early work.

In the fall of 2023, Phair toured to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Exile in Guyville, performing the entire album live. In August 2024, she announced a new publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music.

Personal Life

In 1995, Phair married film editor Jim Staskauskas. Their son, James Nicholas, was born in 1996. The couple divorced in 2001. After the divorce, Phair moved from Chicago to the Los Angeles area. As of 2018, she lives in Manhattan Beach, California.

Phair has described herself as a feminist. Her album Exile in Guyville is often seen as an important album for the third-wave feminism movement of the 1990s.

Books

Phair has also written books. In 2019, she released her first memoir, Horror Stories. The book was praised for its honesty and strong writing. She is also working on a second memoir, which 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

In Spanish: Liz Phair para niños

• List of Oberlin College and Conservatory people