Elizabeth Vanessa Harper[1] (born 1982 or 1983),[2] better known by her stage name Class Actress, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Class Actress was originally conceived as a trio, consisting of Harper, Mark Richardson, and Scott Rosenthal.[3][4]
History
Formation and early years
Harper majored in drama in college and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actress, but she was unable to make it work and soon found herself disillusioned by it. After relocating to Brooklyn, she decided to pursue a career in music instead.[5] She formed Elizabeth Harper & the Matinee,[5] and in 2004, Harper's self-titled debut solo album was released by UK label Angular Recording Corporation.[6]
Harper later contacted Philadelphia-based producer Mark Richardson, who had remixed a song from her debut album.[6][7] She preferred Richardson's version to the original, and the two began recording songs at her house,[7][8] trading Harper's previous guitar-based sound for electronic music, which she had long been interested in exploring.[3][5][8] Along with multi-instrumentalist and engineer Scott Rosenthal, Harper and Richardson formed Class Actress—a joke on Harper's original career choice.[5][8]
2009–12: Journal of Ardency and Rapprocher
Class Actress released their debut extended play, Journal of Ardency, on February 9, 2010 on Terrible Records, which is run by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor.[4] The New York Times described it as "an alluringly precise recapturing of the winning chill of early '80s electro-pop".[9] The EP also drew comparisons to New Order, The Human League, and Depeche Mode, while Harper's vocals were likened to those of Blondie's Debbie Harry and Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell.[10]
The trio's debut studio album, Rapprocher, was released on October 18, 2011 by Carpark Records. Harper stated that the title—which means "to come closer" in French[11]—was inspired by "a French lover who broke [her] heart".[12] The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, obtaining a rating of 69 out of 100 based on 16 critics on review aggregate site Metacritic.[13] AllMusic named it one of the best indie pop and rock albums of 2011.[14] Rapprocher reached number 21 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart and number 27 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.[15][16] The song "Keep You" was used in an episode of the fifth season of the teen drama television series Gossip Girl.[17]
2013–present: Movies
As a solo artist under the moniker Class Actress, Harper signed to Casablanca Records in 2013.[18] That same year, she moved into a bungalow at The Beverly Hills Hotel in order to write and record songs.[19][20] Class Actress premiered the track "More Than You" on May 20, 2015,[21] and on June 2, it was announced that her EP Movies would be released on June 23 via Casablanca and Republic Records.[18] Taking inspiration from "the films of '80s excess, glamor and self-discovery",[18] Harper wanted Movies to tell "a dark story of a woman who explores the glamorous fantasy life of a Hollywood party girl."[22] The EP was executive-produced by Giorgio Moroder and Evan Bogart, and features production by Harper herself, Moroder, Neon Indian, and Mess Kid.[19]
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Music videos
References
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External links
