‘Teen Spirit’ Movie: Is Elle Fanning Actually Singing?

Elle Fanning plays a singer in her new movie, “Teen Spirit,” but is she one in real life?

Written and directed by Max Minghella, “Teen Spirit,” which opens on Friday, stars Fanning as Violet, a shy teenager who enters a local singing competition in the hopes it’ll help her make her pop-star dreams come true.

While some musical movies feature its stars lip-syncing to someone else’s singing voice, that’s not the case in “Teen Spirit.” The 21-year-old actress is actually singing the songs that her character’s performing in the film.

Most of them are covers of famous tunes, like Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” and Ellie Goulding’s “Lights,” but she also sings an original song, “Wildflowers,” written by Carly Rae Jepsen and Jack Antonoff.

“Growing up, I sang in school,” Fanning said on Sway in the Morning about her secret passion. “I would sing around the house constantly...So, there was definitely a time in my life I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll become a pop star.’”

She ended up going down the acting route instead but was always looking for a music film to do, and that’s when “Teen Spirit” came along, and she knew it was the perfect opportunity for her to combine both of her passions.

The Interscope Records-released soundtrack features 14 songs, half of which are performed by Fanning. The other seven are by popular artists, like No Doubt, Major Lazer and Grimes.

Here’s the full track listing for the “Teen Spirit” original soundtrack:

• Grimes – “Genesis”
• Elle Fanning – “I Was A Fool”
• Marius de Vries & Eldad Guetta (feat. Elle Fanning) – “E.T.”
• No Doubt – “Just A Girl”
• Elle Fanning – “Dancing On My Own”
• Elle Fanning – “Lights”
• Elle Fanning – “Little Bird”
• Major Lazer – “Lean On (feat. DJ Snake & MØ)”
• Elle Fanning, Teen Spirit Finalists – “Good Time”
• The Shades – “Teenage Kicks”
• Clara Rugaard – “Tattooed Heart”
• Elle Fanning – “Don’t Kill My Vibe”
• Orbital (feat. Elle Fanning) – “Halcyon Teen Spirit”
• Elle Fanning – “Wildflowers”

Check out Fanning singing in “Teen Spirit” when the movie comes out in theaters this Friday.