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Elizabeth Vanessa Harper (born 1982 or 1983), known professionally as 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.

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. She formed Elizabeth Harper & the Matinee, and in 2004, Harper's self-titled debut solo album was released by UK label Angular Recording Corporation.

Harper later contacted Philadelphia-based producer Mark Richardson, who had remixed a song from her debut album. She preferred Richardson's version to the original, and the two began recording songs at her house, trading Harper's previous guitar-based sound for electronic music, which she had long been interested in exploring. Along with multi-instrumentalist and engineer Scott Rosenthal, Harper and Richardson formed Class Actress—the name being a joke on Harper's original career choice.

2009–2012: 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. The New York Times described it as "an alluringly precise recapturing of the winning chill of early '80s electro-pop". 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.

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—was inspired by "a French lover who broke heart". 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. AllMusic named it one of the best indie pop and rock albums of 2011. Rapprocher reached number 21 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart and number 27 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. The song "Keep You" was used in an episode of the fifth season of the teen drama television series Gossip Girl.

2013–2015: Movies

As a solo artist under the moniker Class Actress, Harper signed to Casablanca Records in 2013. That same year, she moved into a bungalow at The Beverly Hills Hotel in order to write and record songs. Class Actress premiered the track "More Than You" on May 20, 2015, and on June 2, it was announced that her EP Movies would be released on June 23 via Casablanca and Republic Records. Taking inspiration from "the films of '80s excess, glamor and self-discovery", Harper wanted Movies to tell "a dark story of a woman who explores the glamorous fantasy life of a Hollywood party girl." The EP was executive-produced by Giorgio Moroder and Evan Bogart, and features production by Harper herself, Moroder, Neon Indian, and Mess Kid.

2016–present: New music

On June 30, 2016, Class Actress premiered a song titled "Glass Ceiling", along with an accompanying music video, through Terrible Records. The track was produced by Mess Kid.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Music videos

References

1. "Songwriter/Composer: Harper Elizabeth Vanessa". BMI. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
2. Davis, Hays (July 30, 2010). "Remembering First Concerts: Greatest Stories Ever Told". Under the Radar. Retrieved July 9, 2015. Class Actress' Elizabeth Harper: Cocteau Twins (Age 13, 1996, Lollapalooza)
3. ^ Vanessa (November 30, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Elizabeth Harper of Class Actress". The Owl Mag. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
4. ^ Deem, Anna (June 16, 2010). "Class Actress: Journal of Ardency EP". PopMatters. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
5. ^ Baker, Brian (August 15, 2012). "A Class of Her Own". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
6. ^ Sia, Nicole (March 8, 2012). "Popping Up: Class Actress". Idolator. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
7. ^ Leahey, Andrew. "Class Actress | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
8. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 10, 2009). "Rising: Class Actress". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
9. "Beyond Popping Corks, the Sounds of the New Year". The New York Times. December 23, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
10. Love, Joshua (February 1, 2010). "Class Actress: Journal of Ardency". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
11. Breihan, Tom (June 27, 2011). "Class Actress Announce Debut Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
12. Smoak, Matt (October 18, 2011). "A Minute With Class Actress' Elizabeth Harper". Elle. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
13. "Reviews for Rapprocher by Class Actress". Metacritic. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
14. "AllMusic's Favorite Indie Pop and Rock Albums of 2011". AllMusic. December 16, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
15. "Class Actress – Chart history: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
16. "Class Actress – Chart history: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
17. "Gossip Girl Music | Season 5 – Episode 19". The CW. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
18. ^ Hampp, Andrew (May 3, 2015). "Class Actress Announces 'Movies' EP, Talks Collaborating With Giorgio Moroder: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
19. ^ "Class Actress Made Some 'Movies'… Get Album News & More Here". Republic Records. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
20. Rowland, Sarah (June 16, 2015). "class actress used the hollywood illusion to make a very real record". Nylon. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
21. Muller, Marissa G. (May 20, 2015). "Class Actress Premieres "More Than You"". The Fader. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
22. Syme, Rachel (June 22, 2015). "Stream the New EP From Class Actress (With an Assist From the Disco Legend Giorgio Moroder)". T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
23. "WORLD PREMIERE: Class Actress, "Glass Ceiling"". Terrible Records. June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
24. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Rapprocher – Class Actress". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
25. ^ "Journal of Ardency – EP by Class Actress". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved July 9, 2015.
26. "Journal of Ardency (Bonus Track Version) – EP by Class Actress". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved July 9, 2015.
27. ^ "Movies – EP by Class Actress". iTunes Store (US). 23 June 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
28. "Class Actress release CD + Video". The Deli Magazine. March 4, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
29. Brandon (April 27, 2010). "Class Actress – "Adolescent Heart" Video (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
30. "Class Actress | Videos". ClassActress.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
31. Goble, Corban (October 17, 2011). "Class Actress – "Weekend" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
32. Goble, Corban (January 20, 2012). "Class Actress – "Bienvenue" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
33. Breihan, Tom (November 2, 2012). "Class Actress – "Need To Know" Video (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
34. "More Than You – Class Actress". Vevo. June 2, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
35. White, Caitlin (September 10, 2015). "Class Actress – "GFE" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved November 27, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Class Actress at AllMusic

• 1980s births
• American women singer-songwriters
• Record producers from New York (state)
• American synth-pop musicians
• Living people
• Singers from Brooklyn
• Republic Records artists
• Singers from Los Angeles
• American women in electronic music
• 21st-century American women singers
• 21st-century American singer-songwriters
• Record producers from California
• American women record producers
• Singer-songwriters from California
• Singer-songwriters from New York (state)