Julian Casablancas

Julian Casablancas (born August 23, 1978 in New York City, New York) is a singer and songwriter and the lead singer for the alternative rock band The Strokes. His debut solo album "Phrazes for the Young" was released on November 2, 2009. Julian Casablancas is the son of John Casablancas, the founder of Elite Model Management, and Jeanette Christiansen, a Danish model who was Miss Denmark in 1965, making him half Spanish, half Danish. His parents divorced when he was young. He attended kindergarten with future bandmate Nikolai Fraiture. When he was 14 he was caught drinking before class and was enrolled in rehab two days a week. Later, because of his poor grades, his father sent him to the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland. Although he only attended the school for six months, it was there that Casablancas first met fellow band member Albert Hammond Jr., one of the few American students on campus other than himself. When Casablancas returned to New York, he continued his education at Dwight School, where he met Fabrizio Moretti and Nick Valensi, who would also later become his fellow band members. He attended Five Towns College in Long Island after getting a scholarship by writing a classical composition. He later met up with his now band members and together they became one of the most successful bands to come out of New York City. It has been said that their sound is similar to that of The Velvet Underground and Television, also fellow New Yorkers. They have a huge celebrity following including the likes of Kate Moss, Bruce Willis, Elizabeth Jagger, Kirsten Dunst and Arctic Monkeys. Julian Casablancas (vocals) writes the words and music for the band apart from a few tracks on their third album which other band members helped him write. With a strong 1970s, Television-influenced garage rock sound, the Strokes released a string of successful and critically lauded releases at a time when rock music was dominated by the nu-metal movement. To date, the Strokes have released The Modern Age EP, the Is This It? LP, the Room on Fire LP and the First Impressions of Earth LP. The Strokes are due to return to the studio for a fourth LP in 2010.