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 co-founded the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. He departed from Galaxie 500 in April 1991 and went on to establish the band Luna (1990s American band), Luna. Following Luna's di ...

, she has also been a member of the bands

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin, Spanish and other languages * Luna (goddess) In Sabine and ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon (Latin ''Lūna'' ). She is often presented as t ...

and is one half of the duo

Dean & Britta Dean & Britta is an American musical duo consisting of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, both members of Luna (1990s American band), Luna. Wareham had formed Luna in 1991 after leaving his first band, Galaxie 500. Phillips joined Luna in 2000, ...

; 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 (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

animated television series '' Moral Orel'' and '' Mary Shelley's Frankenhole''.

Early life

Britta Phillips was born in Boyne City,

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, 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, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. 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 singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

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

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

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

, to pursue a career in music. In 1985, Phillips' father, through his musical contacts, secured an audition for her for the role of Jem in the animated TV series "Jem and the Holograms." 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, 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 indie rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three studio albums: '' Today'' (1988), '' On Fire'' (1989), and '' This Is Our Music'' (1990). The band membership comprised guitarist and v ...

, 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 app ...

. Phillips and Wareham have also composed original score for the

Noah Baumbach Noah Baumbach (born September 3, 1969) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making light comedies set in New York City and his works are inspired by filmmakers such as Woody Allen and Whit Stillman. His frequent collaborators include Wes A ...

films ''

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

'' 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, Ca ...

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 eclectic filmography, consisting of slow-burning Period Piece Films, period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs, an ...

film, ''Clean'', starring

Maggie Cheung Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong actress. She is one of the most successful and internationally acclaimed actresses in Asia, renowned for her diverse and versatile performances as well as her natural acting skills ...

. 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 Anika Rose Moa (born 21 May 1980) is a New Zealand recording artist and television presenter. Her debut studio album ''Thinking Room'', was released in September 2001, which reached number one on the Official New Zealand Music Chart, New Z ...

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

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

'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 rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser, Ben Goldwasser. Originally signed to Cantora Records by the nascent ...

single " It's Working" from their album ''

Congratulations Congratulations may refer to: Film and television * Congratulations (2010 film), an Egyptian film * Congratulations (2023 film), a Gujarati drama film *'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme ...

''. 2016 saw the release of her long-awaited debut solo album, ''Luck or Magic''. It contains five covers, along with five original songs. In 2023, Phillips was featured on the

Gunship A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support. In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-mo ...

album ''

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

'' adding vocals to the techno/dance rock " Holographic Heart".

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 Bateman (born February 19, 1966) is an American filmmaker, author and former actress. Her acting work included '' Family Ties'', '' Satisfaction'', ''Men Behaving Badly'', '' The TV Set'', ''Desperate Housewives'', and ''Californication ...

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles across various genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Award ...

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...

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

, 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, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. 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 '' 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 '' 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 television series, children's Musical film, musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz (producer), Scott Schultz and developed by Kay Wilson Stallings. The series is about five cos ...

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

, in the 2012

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 Actors from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Musicians 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 American 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 American women composers 20th-century American singers