An artist active in music, video, and writing, Beth Jeans Houghton first gained recognition under her own name before adopting the pseudonym Du Blonde. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne on January 3, 1990, she dropped out of school at age sixteen to focus on learning to play the guitar and writing songs. Her career began with the band Beth Jeans Houghton & the Hooves of Destiny, followed by the 2006 release of several singles on independent labels, and then the EP Hot Toast, Vol. 1 (2009), produced by Mike Lindsay of the band Tuung. Following the 2012 album Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose, produced by Ben Hiller, Beth Jean Houghton went to seek inspiration on the U.S. West Coast and reemerged under the name Du Blonde with the album Welcome Back to Milk (2015), recorded between London and Los Angeles with Samuel T. Herring (Future Islands) and Jim Sclavunos, drummer for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. After directing several music videos for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ezra Furman, and other artists, Du Blonde returned to music in 2019 with the album Lung Bread for Daddy, featuring contributions from Shirley Manson, Andy Bell, and musicians from the bands Girl Ray and Tuung. In 2021, he released Homecoming, tinged with glam rock, as on Sniff More Gritty (2024), which features Skin of Skunk Anansie, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, Paul Smith of Maxïmo Park, and Ross Millard of the Futureheads. The subsequent tour led to the recording of a live concert for her first live album, Live at the Portland Arms, released in June 2026.
