Nikolai Fraiture
The stoic, melodic anchor of The Strokes, whose steady bass lines provided the crucial foundation for the band's garage-rock revival.
Born 1978 (age 48)·American bassist·Birthday: November 13·Generation X
Biography
Nikolai Fraiture, born in New York City in 1978, met Julian Casablancas at a Swiss boarding school, a friendship that would later spark a musical revolution. As the bassist for The Strokes, Fraiture was the quiet constant, his driving, melodic lines—heard on anthems like 'Last Nite' and 'Reptilia'—forming the sturdy backbone of the band's chaotic, stylish sound. While the frontmen grabbed headlines, Fraiture's work in the pocket was essential to the group's tight, explosive dynamic. Outside The Strokes, he explored different textures, releasing a folk-tinged solo album as Nickel Eye and fronting the moodier project Summer Moon, demonstrating a musical curiosity that extended beyond the downtown rock that made him famous.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Nikolai was born in 1978, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Nikolai Was Born
The biggest hits of 1978
#1 Movie
Grease
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Nikolai's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1978Born
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1983Started school
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1991Became a teenager
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Could drive
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1996Could vote
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Turned 21
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2008Turned 30
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 40
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 48 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded The Strokes, a band that catalyzed the garage rock revival of the early 2000s with their debut 'Is This It'.
- His distinctive bass playing is central to classic Strokes songs like 'Hard to Explain' and 'Someday'.
- Released a solo album, 'The Time of the Assassins', under the moniker Nickel Eye in 2009.
- Has maintained his role as the consistent bassist across all six of The Strokes' studio albums over two decades.
Did You Know?
He is of French and Russian-Jewish descent.
His bass guitar of choice is often a vintage Fender Precision Bass.
He named his solo project Nickel Eye after a childhood mispronunciation of 'nickelodeon'.
He and Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. were childhood friends in New York.
“The bass line is the anchor; it has to hold everything together.”
