Alice Glass

Early life and formation of Crystal Castles

Margaret Osborn was born on 25 August 1988 in Toronto, Ontario, and was raised in a Catholic household, attending parochial school until junior high. At the age of 15, she ran away from home and began living in a squat community of punks, adopting the name Vicki Vale after the comic book character. During this period, she started an all-girl experimental punk band called Fetus Fatale, which marked her early entry into Toronto's underground music scene. In December 2003, she began collaborating with musician Ethan Kath on a project that would evolve into the electronic duo Crystal Castles. She chose her stage name, Alice Glass, by combining the name Alice from a shoplifted pin with Hopey Glass, a character from the comic series Love and Rockets.

Crystal Castles' first official release was the 2006 single "Alice Practice," a track that garnered significant attention and secured the band their first record deal with London's Merok Records. The same year, the duo played their inaugural live show at Clinton's Tavern in Toronto. "Alice Practice" was later included on their self-titled debut album, which was released in 2008 to critical acclaim. That year, Glass topped NME's Cool List, though she publicly criticized the concept of such lists. The band followed their debut with two more albums, II in 2010 and III in 2012, forming a trilogy of releases where Glass co-wrote every song to which she contributed vocals. These three albums established Crystal Castles as a major force in the electronic music scene, known for their chaotic live performances and distorted, melodic sound.

Departure from Crystal Castles and solo beginnings

In October 2014, Alice Glass announced her departure from Crystal Castles, citing professional and personal reasons and stating that her work in the band had compromised her efforts toward "sincerity, honesty, and empathy for others." This departure led to a series of public disagreements with her former bandmate, Ethan Kath. In July 2015, Glass launched her solo career with the debut single "Stillbirth," which was explicitly created to raise awareness about domestic and sexual abuse. She partnered with the anti-sexual assault organization RAINN, donating all proceeds from the song to aid abuse victims, establishing a clear thematic direction for her independent work.

In August 2017, she released the single "Without Love," which served as the lead track for her upcoming self-titled debut EP. That same year, she was added as the opening act for Marilyn Manson's Heaven Upside Down Tour, but the tour was plagued by incidents. On September 29 in Pittsburgh, Manson broke his ankle on stage during an encore of "The Beautiful People" at Stage AE after jumping to sing with fans, and Glass was invited to take over vocals momentarily after the band restarted the song. The following night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, a 750 kg stage prop of two oversized pistols fell on Manson during "Sweet Dreams," breaking his fibula and knocking him unconscious for 15 minutes. These events led to the immediate cancellation of the next nine North American dates and the gradual cancellation of all October shows, which were later rescheduled for 2018. On October 19, Glass posted on Facebook that she would not be returning for the rescheduled 2018 dates, teasing her own future tour and instead playing a show at The Observatory North Park in San Diego on October 24.

In a significant October 2017 statement on her website, Glass publicly accused Ethan Kath of sexual, physical, and mental abuse, alleging the abuse started when she was 15 and began recording with him and escalated until her departure. Kath responded the same day in a statement to Pitchfork, calling the accusations "pure fiction" and consulting his lawyers. The following month, Kath sued Glass for defamation, but this lawsuit was dismissed in February 2018. In May 2018, Glass was awarded nearly US$21,000 in attorney fees after Kath's lawyers sought to vacate the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against her.

Solo EP, tour, and continued singles

Alice Glass released her self-titled debut EP in 2017, followed by the singles "Forgiveness" and "Cease and Desist" in January 2018. She described "Cease and Desist" as "a call to arms for all survivors," and both songs were accompanied by music videos. In April 2018, she began her SnowBlood Tour alongside American singer Zola Jesus, with electronic musician Pictureplane being an opening act on select dates. The tour is named after Lady Snowblood, the star of the 1973 Japanese film. Later that April, she released a remix EP, consisting of remixes of songs from her 2017 EP, including contributions from both Zola Jesus and Pictureplane.

Her subsequent single releases included "Mine" in June 2018, featuring a music video directed by Lucas David and starring American drag queen Violet Chachki, and "I Trusted You" in December 2018 as part of Adult Swim's singles series. Throughout 2020, Glass released the song "Nightmares" and a remix of "Rajadão" by Pabllo Vittar through the experimental label Sermon 3 Recordings. "Nightmares" was later re-released on the label compilation album, Sermon 4 Anniversary. Also in 2020, she revealed she does not receive appropriate royalties from her Crystal Castles work, disavowed her tenure in the band, and asked fans to cease their support of the group, marking a definitive break from her past.

• "Forgiveness" (Single), January 2018
• "Cease and Desist" (Single), January 2018
• SnowBlood Tour with Zola Jesus, April 2018
• Remix EP, April 2018
• "Mine" (Single), June 2018
• "I Trusted You" (Single for Adult Swim), December 2018
• "Nightmares" (Single), 2020
• Pabllo Vittar "Rajadão" Remix, 2020

Debut album Prey//IV and its rollout

Alice Glass began the rollout for her debut solo album in 2021, starting with the single "Suffer and Swallow" on 6 January, accompanied by a stop-motion music video by Lucas David. She made a guest appearance on Alice Longyu Gao's single "Legend" which was released on 27 May 2021. On 19 November 2021, she unveiled the title and shared the track listing of her solo debut album Prey//IV and announced a release date of 28 January 2022 on her own Eating Glass Records. This announcement was paired with the single "Baby Teeth," which had a music video by Astra Zero and Lucas David.

On 8 December 2021, Glass premiered the single "Fair Game" accompanied by a music video directed by Bryan M. Ferguson. On 28 January 2022, Glass released "Love Is Violence," after the album's release was delayed to February, with a music video also by Bryan M. Ferguson that depicted two teenagers sensually pulling out each other's entrails. Prey//IV was finally released on 16 February 2022, with a music video for "Everybody Else" directed by Astra Zero premiering the same day. The album was described by Dazed as an "extreme pop album" rammed with vivid portrayals of body horror, where eerie soundscapes intertwine with distorted and warped synths, accompanied by a drum loop that punctuates the tracks.

Post-album singles and 2024 to 2026 releases

Following her album, Alice Glass released the single "Lips Apart" on 21 September 2022. On 18 April 2024, she released a cover of The Smashing Pumpkins song "Drown," produced by Jupiter Keyes. This cover track was later featured on the covers album, Sending Hearts to All My Dearies: A Tribute to the Smashing Pumpkins released on August 14, 2026 by Sumerian Records, which also featured artists such as Tame Impala, Barns Courtney, Nita Strauss and Palaye Royale. On 21 June 2024, Glass released a new single, "Remains," featuring New York-based musician Clip, with a visualizer released on her YouTube channel the same day.

In November 2025, Glass released "MERCY KILL" which Margaret Farrell of Stereo Gum described as having "demonic vocals, crackles of skittering percussion, and pearlescent synths." The single was featured on the Alternative Press "A-sides: 10 new songs you have to hear" list for the week of November 21, 2025. Glass indicated that the single previews a "larger project" due in 2026, signalling a new phase in her solo career and continued productivity nearly a decade after beginning her independent path. Her inclusion on the 2026 tribute album alongside major artists demonstrates her sustained relevance within alternative music circles.

Artistic style, themes, and public advocacy

Alice Glass's artistic identity is characterized by a fusion of harsh electronic sounds, distorted vocals, and themes exploring trauma, abuse, and empowerment. Her music, both with Crystal Castles and as a solo artist, often employs aggressive synth lines and pounding rhythms to create a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. Lyrically, she confronts personal history and societal violence with unflinching directness, a approach established early in her solo career with advocacy-focused releases like "Stillbirth." This commitment extends beyond her music into public statements and legal actions regarding her past experiences in Crystal Castles, forming a core part of her public identity.

Her advocacy work is integral to her public persona. She has consistently used her platform to speak out against sexual and physical abuse, aligning her artistic output with support for survivors. The donation of all proceeds from "Stillbirth" to RAINN and the thematic core of songs like "Cease and Desist" demonstrate this synthesis of art and activism. Her 2017 public allegations against Ethan Kath and the subsequent legal battle were a defining moment, framing her departure from Crystal Castles not just as a career move but as a public stance against abuse within the music industry. Her later disavowal of the band and request for fans to stop supporting it further cemented this position, and her music continues to channel these experiences into a powerful artistic statement.

Live performances and touring history

Alice Glass's live performances have been a consistent and intense aspect of her career since the first Crystal Castles show at Clinton's Tavern in Toronto in 2006. With Crystal Castles, their shows became known for a chaotic and energetic style that matched their music, and she co-wrote every song she performed with the band. Her solo touring began in earnest with the 2018 SnowBlood Tour alongside Zola Jesus, which included Pictureplane as an opening act on select dates. Prior to that, her brief stint opening for Marilyn Manson in 2017 was marked by the serious on-stage accidents that led to tour cancellations, though she did perform a solo show in San Diego that October after leaving that tour.

Her performances are noted for their visceral energy and connection to the thematic content of her music. She began performing at age 15 with an all girl experimental punk band called Fetus Fatale. Her stage presence was later a feature of her work with the electronic band Crystal Castles, which played its first live show at Clinton's Tavern in Toronto in 2006. She has also performed on her own headlining tours, such as the SnowBlood Tour in 2018, and as an opening act for Marilyn Manson on the Heaven Upside Down Tour in 2017. The visual components of her work, often extending into her music videos created with directors like Lucas David, Bryan M. Ferguson, and Astra Zero, complement the aggressive audio experience.

Questions about Alice Glass

What is Alice Glass's real name?

Alice Glass was born Margaret Osborn on 25 August 1988 in Toronto, Ontario. She adopted her stage name early in her career, combining the name Alice from a shoplifted pin with Hopey Glass, a character from the Love and Rockets comic series. She has performed and released music professionally under the name Alice Glass since co-founding Crystal Castles in 2003. Her birth name is used in legal contexts and was part of the public record during her legal proceedings with Ethan Kath.

Why did Alice Glass leave Crystal Castles?

Alice Glass announced her departure from Crystal Castles in October 2014, citing personal and professional reasons. She stated that working within the band compromised her efforts toward "sincerity, honesty, and empathy for others. In 2017, she publicly accused her former bandmate Ethan Kath of sexual, physical, and mental abuse, alleging the abuse began when she was 15 and escalated over time. This led to a defamation lawsuit from Kath, which was dismissed in February 2018, and Glass was later awarded attorney fees.

When did Alice Glass release her first solo album?

Alice Glass released her debut solo album, Prey//IV, on 16 February 2022. She announced the album and its release date on her own label, Eating Glass Records, in November 2021. The album rollout began in January 2021 with the single "Suffer and Swallow". Further singles from the album included "Baby Teeth", "Fair Game", and "Love Is Violence". The album was described by Dazed as an extreme pop album featuring themes of body horror and claustrophobic soundscapes.

What recent music has Alice Glass released?

Alice Glass released the single "Lips Apart" in September 2022. In April 2024, she released a cover of The Smashing Pumpkins song "Drown". In June 2024, she released the single "Remains", which featured the New York based musician Clip. In November 2025, she released the single "MERCY KILL", which previews a larger project due in 2026. Her cover of "Drown" was later featured on a Smashing Pumpkins tribute album released by Sumerian Records in August 2026.

What was Alice Glass's involvement with Marilyn Manson's tour?

Alice Glass was the opening act for Marilyn Manson on the Heaven Upside Down Tour in 2017. That tour was plagued by serious safety incidents, including one where Manson broke his ankle in Pittsburgh and another where a 750 kg stage prop fell on him in New York City, knocking him unconscious. These events led to the cancellation of the following nine North American dates and all October shows. Glass later announced via Facebook on October 19 that she would not be returning for the rescheduled tour dates in 2018. Instead, she performed her own show at The Observatory North Park in San Diego on October 24.

Sources and further reading

• Alice Glass (Wikipedia)
• Alice Glass Statement (alice-glass.com)
• Alice Glass, Artists (insomniac.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-04.