Blur at Coachella 2024: Who is Justine Frischmann and what Blur songs are about her and Damon Albarn?

Despite Damon Albarn’s comments during weekend one of this year’s Coachella Festival, the band are set to return to the Coachella Stage this evening (BST), for their second set before, we believe, officially “never seeing them again” at the festival. 

Blur’s performance during the first weekend of Coachella has been polarising, with many Britpop lovers happy to see the band once again waving the “Cool Britannia” flag stateside, while others believed the band, in particular lead singer Albarn, did not want to be there.

For a lot of younger music fans, the heyday of Britpop might have been quite a bit before their time, which has led (in our daily investigations) to people searching about someone by the name of Justine Frischmann and just what her relationship with the band is.

If you know, you know - and you’re a person of a certain age. But for those just getting into celebrated Britpop group Blur, and Suede for that matter, NationalWorld explains just who our ‘90s teenage crush is and what songs Blur recorded about her.

Who is Justine Frischmann?

Justine Frischmann is a British musician, singer-songwriter, and artist best known as the former lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Elastica. She was a prominent figure in the Britpop music scene during the 1990s, with Elastica's debut album reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and producing hits such as "Connection" and "Waking Up."

Frischmann is also known for her relationships with other musicians, including being a founding member of the band Suede and her long-term relationship with Suede's frontman Brett Anderson, as well as her high-profile relationship with Damon Albarn of Blur.

Anderson and Frischmann had a romantic relationship in the early 1990s before Frischmann dated Albarn. Anderson has discussed his past relationship with Frischmann in his autobiography "Coal Black Mornings," expressing fondness and acknowledging the impact she had on him during their time together. The relationship with Albarn though was a lot more press-heavy, with the pair at one stage being regarded as “Britpop’s most famous couple,” before the pair broke up in 1998.

Elastica released their long-awaited, difficult second album “The Menace” in 2000 to a more muted response from critics compared to their debut album. Frischmann herself admitted the regret and that Elastica should have been a “one-and-done” group with one album, however, the release of the album did help platform the works of visual artist and musician Maya Arulpragasam, later to be known as M.I.A., who also directed the video for "Mad Dog God Dam" and designed the cover for the band's last single "The Bitch Don't Work."

After leaving the music industry in the early 2000s, Frischmann pursued her passion for visual art and studied fine art at the Royal College of Art in London. She has since continued her career as an artist and photographer, residing in the United States.

What songs by Blur are about Damon Albarn’s relationship with Justine Frischmann?

Where to begin… 

Damon Albarn has referenced Justin Frischmann as early as 1993, with the song “1992” alleged to be about Albarn’s initial feelings about Justine Frischmann. "Look Inside America" from the 1997 album "Blur" is often interpreted as touching on the complexities of Albarn's relationship with Frischmann during a time when both of them were spending a lot of time in the United States.

Even 1997’s “Blur,” and its single "Beetlebum" is believed to describe the highs and lows of the relationship, including references to drug use. But the bulk of the songs regarding Albarn and Frischmann’s relationship occur on their 1999 album, “13,” or as some Blur fans call it, “Damon’s Break-Up Album.”

In an interview with The Guardian in 1999, Albarn talked about the album "13" and how his breakup with Frischmann impacted the songwriting process: "The whole of the last Blur album is about her and me."

In another interview with Q Magazine, Albarn also discussed the emotional impact of the breakup on his songwriting: "I’m not trying to hide it; it's how I felt. I felt at that point there was no distance left to run."

"Tender" is one of Blur's most well-known songs, dealing with themes of love and relationships. It is widely considered to be about the ups and downs of Albarn's relationship with Frischmann, while "No Distance Left to Run," also from "13", this song is considered one of Blur's most personal tracks, reflecting Albarn's feelings at the end of his relationship with Frischmann.

"Caramel" is thought to deal with Albarn's emotional struggles during the relationship and "Trailerpark" is thought to deal with the emotional distance and challenges in the relationship.

How can I watch Blur perform at Coachella Festival 2024 on TV or online?

​​Blur are set to perform once again at Coachella Festival this evening, performing at 7:40pm PDT on the Coachella Stage. Those in the United Kingdom who want to watch the performance should be thankful it’s a weekend - they’ll be on Coachella’s YouTube channel at 3:40am BST.