Former Cocteau Twins vocalist Elizabeth Fraser now has an asteroid named after her, courtesy of the International Astronomical Union in Paris, France.
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Originally discovered on August 31, 2013, by observers Michal Zolnowski and Michal Kusiak at the Rantiga Osservatorio in Tincana, Italy, the asteroid can viewed on the official NASA website.
“Yesterday, after 10 years of research, the International Astronomical Union [has] named the asteroid 2013 TF19 Fraser after Elizabeth Fraser,” read a statement by Fraser’s label 4AD. “It does not pose a threat to humankind and will not collide with Earth for millions of years. It can only be viewed using an advanced telescope but luckily is available to see on [NASA’s] website.”
Fraser and the Cocteau Twins amassed a cult following throughout the 1980s and ’90s, from their 1988 hit “Carolyn’s Fingers” along with “Blue Bell Knoll,” “Heaven or Las Vegas,” “Iceblink Luck,” and “Four-Calendar Café,” among others.
Formed in Grangemouth, Scotland in 1979 by Fraser, along with Robin Guthrie, Simon Raymonde, and Will Heggie, Cocteau Twins broke up in 1997 after releasing nine albums together. Starting on 4AD, along with former label mates Bauhaus, Throwing Muses, Modern English, Dead Can Dance, Pixies, Clan of Xymox, the band released seven albums with the label from their 1982 debut Garlands through Heaven or Las Vegas in 1990.
[RELATED: The Simple Minds Song That Inspired the Band Name Cocteau Twins]
The band later moved to Fortuna Records where they released their final two albums Four-Calendar Café in 1993 and the band’s final together, Mike & Kisses, in 1996.
In 2022, Fraser released her latest EP, Sun’s Signature, named project with partner Damon Reece (Echo & the Bunnymen, Lupine Howl). An extended version of the EP was released in August 2023, featuring six remixes of the five original tracks by CUTS, Gwenno, John Grant, Hinako Omori, LUMP (Laura Marling + Mike Lindsay), and Goldfrapp‘s Will Gregory.
Photo: Dave Tonge/Getty Images
