Julian Fernando Casablancas (born August 23, 1978) is a solo artist and vocalist and chief songwriter of the American rock band The Strokes. Early life and education Julian Casablancas is the son of John Casablancas, son of immigrants from Sabadell in Spain and the founder of Elite Model Management, and Jeanette Christiansen, a Danish model who was Miss Denmark in 1965, and brother of Cecile and John II Casablancas. His paternal grandfather Ferran Casablancas was a textile businessman. His parents were divorced when Casablancas was nine, and he lived with his mother and Sam Adoquei. The first original member of The Strokes with whom Casablancas met was Nikolai Fraiture. The two attended the same kindergarten and soon more schools to come. When he was 14, Casablancas was caught drinking before school and consequently was forced twice a week to attend a rehabilitation program called Phoenix House. Soon afterwards, his father sent him to Institut Le Rosey[1], a boarding school in Switzerland. It was here that he encountered Albert Hammond, Jr.. Though the two were not friends at the time, they would later become roommates and finally bandmates. When Casablancas returned to New York after six months at Le Rosey, he continued his education at Dwight School[2] in Manhattan, where he befriended Fabrizio Moretti and Nick Valensi, who later also became fellow band members. He dropped out in 11th grade and attended Five Towns College on Long Island for one year, receiving a scholarship after writing a classical composition. He worked as a bartender before going into music professionally.