Laura Phillips "
Laurie"
Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American experimental
performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of
experimental music and
art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, Anderson did a variety of different performance-art activities. She became widely known outside the art world in 1981 when her single "
O Superman" reached number two on the UK pop charts. She also starred in and directed the 1986 concert film
Home of the Brave.