Nikolai Fraiture (November 13, 1978 in New York City ) is the bass player in the New York City-based band The Strokes. He is French-Russian and speaks fluent French. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father a security guard. Fraiture is perhaps the only Stroke who did not have a significantly privileged upbringing—he, his parents and his older brother Pierre all lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Fraiture also has a sister named Elizabeth, who is 13 years younger than him.

Once when he was very young, Fraiture was caught attempting to shoplift a Luke Skywalker doll from the Macy's department store where his father was employed. He attended kindergarten with future bandmate Julian Casablancas and later went to Le Lycee Francais of New York for high school.

Although Fraiture had been interested in music since childhood, his did not begin playing bass until he was 19. His grandfather had bought him a bass guitar as a graduation gift but Fraiture gave it to Casablancas. It was not until one year later, when he contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever at a New Orleans youth hostel while on a camping trip, that he picked it up and began to play seriously. At the time, he was attending Hunter College with friend and future bandmate Nick Valensi, who wrote an article about Fraiture's coping with the illness in the school newspaper. Shortly afterwards, he joined his friends Casablancas, Valensi, and Fabrizio Moretti in forming a band. He met Albert Hammond, Jr. at later rehearsals. Fraiture is married to an Englishwoman named Ilona, with whom he has one daughter, Elysia, born in the summer of 2004. He is 6"2', cuts his own hair, and does not smoke. Of all the Strokes, he is often considered the most soft-spoken. He resides in New York, and is often seen cycling around the area.

Fraiture plays a Fender Jazz Bass (the same model his grandfather bought him) and a Rickenbacker. Lately he has also been seen playing a Fender Precision Bass and a Music Man StingRay

Jewish American musicians

Nikolai Fraiture | Nikolai Fraiture | Nikolai Fraiture | Nikolai Fraiture | Nikolai Fraiture