Justin Tranter

born on 16/6/1980

Justin Tranter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Justin Tranter

Justin Tranter (June 16, 1980) is an American musician and jewelry designer. He is the lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons, a New York "garage glam" rock band.

Early years

Justin Tranter and his three older brothers were raised by his parents in Lake Zurich, Illinois. He studied music at the Chicago Academy for the Arts from 199498.

After graduation from high school Tranter moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. Along with songwriting, he also took classes in business management, in preparation for a career in music. Tranter graduated from Berklee in three years, with a GPA of 3.9 and a degree in songwriting. While at Berklee, Justin founded Musicians With a Mission, a scholarship fund for LGBT youth education.[1]

In 2003, Justin won an Outmusic Award for the song "Blend In," co-written with Stephanie Delk, from "Scratched."[2]

Tranter began his music career on the Lower East Side of New York City's underground club circuit.

Music career

Main article: Semi Precious Weapons

Tranter recorded his first album, Scratched, while still at Berklee. After graduation Tranter moved to New York where he put together his first band as the house band for an off-broadway show called Rockstars NYC. The show closed after 3 weeks and Tranter went on to record his second album, Tear Me Together.

In 2004, Tranter joined forces with fellow Berklee graduates, Neal Persiani (stage name Cole Whittle) and Dan Crean, and Aaron Lee Tasjan (who has since been replaced by Stevy Pyne) to form Semi Precious Weapons. He and Semi Precious Weapons opened for Lady GaGa on her Monster Ball from 11/09-5/11.

Design career

Jewelry was a natural outlet for Tranter's creative talent as experience with his mother's jewelry business led him to his early day job in a jewelry store after he moved to New York. Tranter's jewelry company, Fetty, grew out of necklaces he designed to sell as merchandise for the Semi Precious Weapons shows.[3] These rock-and-roll inspired pieces consist mostly of heart and weapon themed charm necklaces and earrings.

In 2008, he designed a limited-edition sneaker for DKNY.[4]

Television appearances

Tranter appeared as a guest on the E! cable network show Chelsea Lately in October 2008. In December 2008, he also appeared as a coach on the MTV reality show MADE in which he helped a young girl transform into a "rock star".[5] Tranter appears in the diner in the music video for Telephone by Lady Gaga.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Justin Tranter

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
  3. Semi Precious Weapons Official Bio (April 2010). Retrieved on December 12, 2008.
  4. Newman, Sabrina (February 7, 2008). StyleHive Sneak Peek: Justin Tranter's Exclusive DKNY Sneaker Line. Retrieved on December 12, 2008.
  5. MTV MADE: Rock Star. Season 9, Episode 30 (December 6, 2008). Retrieved on December 12, 2008.
This page was last modified 29.04.2014 08:31:03

This article uses material from the article Justin Tranter from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.