A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(January 2019) |
NINA | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Nina Boldt |
Born | Berlin, Germany | 29 September 1983
Genres | Synthwave, electronic |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, synthesizer |
Years active | 2011–present |
Labels | Independent (Aztec Records, Lakeshore Records) |
Website | iloveninamusic |
Nina Boldt known mononymously and professionally as NINA (born 29 September 1983) is a German singer-songwriter based in London and Berlin. Her music is a fusion of Pop, New Wave, and Electronic music.[ citation needed ] She released her debut album Sleepwalking in 2018 and her follow-up album Synthian in 2020. Her third major release Control (feat. Laura Fares (also known as LAU)) was released as an EP via Lakeshore Records and features samples from Cliff Martinez' Drive film score which ultimately began a modern revival of the cliche 1980s music, art and graphics scene.
In 2014, Nina released the single "My Mistake" which was included in a compilation by Hugo Boss. [1] Following the release of the single "We Are the Wild Ones", Nina performed four shows in Florida supporting British synth pop duo Erasure on "The Violet Flame" tour. She also performed at Liverpool Sound City music festival. "We Are the Wild Ones" was used in Syfy's TV series "Being Human". The official music video for the song was premiered by The Huffington Post. [2] In 2015, "My Mistake" was used in a radio and TV commercial by Mercedes Benz; [3] the song subsequently reached number 6 on Shazam's charts. [4]
"Beyond Memory" was produced by Richard X and co-produced by Sunglasses Kid. The single was premiered by Idolator, who described it as "a slice of mid-tempo moodiness overflowing with Nina's longing, and Richard X's haunting synths". [5] Idolator included "Beyond Memory" in the "Top 10 EPs & Mixtapes of 2016" list. [6] "Beyond Memory" was played on BBC Introducing in July 2016. The EP features remixes by Ministry of Sound DJs Nilesh Parmar and Liam Keegan, as well as Swedish producer, Oscillian. [7]
Nina released her fourth single "One of Us" in collaboration with Metropolis Studios and M:UK label. The single was co-written by Nina, Laura Fares, and Oscillian and mixed by British audio engineer Liam Nolan. It was premiered by PopCrush who described it as similar to " Like A Virgin -era Madonna". [8] That year, Nina performed at synth wave festivals around Europe such as "Outland" and "Retro Future Festival".
Nina's debut album, Sleepwalking, was released on Aztec Records on March 16, 2018. The Electricity Club described the album's title track as "a wonderfully moonlit pop number with a Eurocentric sensibility that will also act as perfect to soundtrack a West Coast night drive". [9] In November 2018, Nina performed six shows in the U.S. alongside Canadian synth pop band Parallels. [10] Nina released her single "The Calm Before the Storm" as part of Adult Swim's "Fever Dreams" synth wave compilation. [11]
In 2019 Nina Boldt appeared in the documentary film The Rise of the Synths , appearing alongside various other composers from the Synthwave scene, including filmmaker John Carpenter who also narrated the film which explored the origins and growth of the genre.
In 2020, Nina departed from her previous record label, Aztec Records and became an independent artist. Later that year, she collaborated with synthwave artist Essenger on a cover of the hit song "Nightcall" by French electronic artist Kavinsky. The single was released by Fixed Neon. Her follow-up EP ‘Control’ was released by Lakeshore Records and samples Cliff Martinez’ score from the feature film ‘ Drive ’.
2021 saw Nina release a series of new singles. The song "Berlin" was written in collaboration with Swedish synthpop band The Secret Chord and was named after Nina's home city. She later self-released "Carnival Night", which was co-written and produced by electronic rock artist Radio Wolf. The song received praise by music blogs; Wonderland magazine called it “…masterful…”. [12] She then released another single in collaboration with Radio Wolf and Ricky Wilde called "Gold Heart". In December 2021, the Indie Horror feature film ‘ There’s No Such Thing As Vampires ’ was released, along with Nina's song "I'll Wait", which was a collaboration with the film's director Logan Thomas. The song was the soundtracks' lead single.
Parallels is a Canadian synthpop band from Toronto, Canada led by Holly Dodson. Dodson's vocals have been compared to Kate Bush and True Blue-era Madonna. In Flare Magazine's 30th anniversary issue, Dodson was featured as one of the "Hottest names to know in Canadian Music".
Scandroid is an American electronic music project created by Klayton, which previously included Varien in 2013. The project released its debut single, "Salvation Code", on August 6, 2013. Scandroid can be described as encompassing the retro synth melodies of the 1980s while still adapting to modern production, thus creating a new retro sound.
"Thursday" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, featuring vocals from English singer and rapper Example. It was released on 4 November 2013 as the fourth single from the Pet Shop Boys' twelfth studio album, Electric (2013). The song reached number 61 on the UK Singles Chart and is the highest-charting single from the album. The accompanying music video was filmed in Shanghai, China.
Olivier "Oliver" J. L. Heldens is a Dutch DJ and electronic music producer from Rotterdam. He is regarded as a pioneer of the future house genre, propelling it to international attention and scoring numerous chart successes, including "Gecko (Overdrive)", "Last All Night (Koala)", "The Right Song", "Fire in My Soul", and "Turn Me On". He also produces techno songs under the alias HI-LO, which comes from "Oli H" in reversed form, and runs the label Heldeep Records. Through February 2021, he is the 460th-most-streamed artist on Spotify, with over a billion cumulative streams.
Robert Parker is a Swedish electronic musician from Stockholm, known for his synthwave works.
Laurel Arnell-Cullen, better known as Laurel, is a British indie musician based in London. Laurel received critical acclaim for writing, recording and producing all her music in her bedroom studio in London.
Anoraak is the musical project of French musician Frédéric Rivière, multi instrumentalist, singer, producer and DJ, former drummer of Pony Pony Run Run and member of the Valerie Collective along with artists such as College, Maethelvin, The Outrunners, Minitel Rose and Russ Chimes. Coming from the rock scene at first, he later came to electronic music, starting Anoraak beside his drummer position.
Gunship is a British synthwave band formed in 2014 by Dan Haigh and Alex Westaway; they were later joined by drummer Alex Gingell.
"Living Out Loud" is a song by American recording artist Brooke Candy featuring Australian singer Sia, released on February 3, 2017. The song was set to be the lead single from Candy's unreleased studio album, Daddy Issues. The KDA remix version of the track was released on December 16, 2016, while the original and proper single version of the track was made available for download and streaming on February 3, 2017.
James is the second extended play by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Ryan, released on October 27, 2017 by Columbia Records. It serves as the follow-up to her 2015 extended play, Mine (2015). The EP was preceded by the release of three singles, and was promoted by a tour span from late October to mid-November 2017.
The Midnight is an American synthwave band composed of Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Tyler Lyle and Los Angeles–based Danish-born producer, songwriter, and singer Tim McEwan.
Bahari is an American alt pop, electronic and dark pop musical duo, previously a trio, composed of Ruby Carr and Natalia Panzarella. Sidney Sartini left the band in 2018.
Jordy Leenaerts, better known by the stage name Timecop1983, is a Dutch electronic musician from Eindhoven, producing music in the synthwave genre. His debut album, Childhood Memories, was released in 2014, followed by Journeys in the same year. The albums Reflections and Night Drive were released in 2015 and 2018, respectively. He explained in an interview that his stage name came about as a combination of Futurecop! and his year of birth.
Laura Fares, known as LAU or Lau Fares is an Argentine singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer from Argentina, and currently based in Barcelona (Spain), after 21 years in the United Kingdom. She is also the founder of Aztec Records with Ariel Amejeiras.
Michael James Oakley is a Scottish synthwave producer and musician.
Aztec Records is an independent British record label. It specialises in electronic and pop music, in the subgenres of Synthpop, Synthwave and Retrowave following the music and pop culture of the 80s. It was founded in 2010 by Laura Fares and Ariel Amejeiras.
Roxi Drive is a British singer-songwriter and actress. In 2017, she began writing and recording 1980s-influenced synth-pop, synth-rock and synthwave songs, having always had a passion for 1980s music. Her first song, "Run All Night ", was released in June 2017 as a collaboration with producer Sellorekt/LA Dreams. Later that year, she released her first extended play, Girl on the TV. She worked with several producers for her first studio album, Strangers of the Night, which was released in October 2018. She released several more singles, including "Dangerous" with Juno Dreams and "Polybius ", and her second album, Electric Heart, was released in October 2020. Her music has been received positively, with praise towards her songwriting and production.
Satellite Young is a Japanese synthwave band founded by Emi Kusano and BelleMaison Sekine in 2013. Their music and style are influenced by classic J-pop artists such as Pink Lady, Minako Honda, Chisato Moritaka, Yoko Minamino, Yū Hayami, and Seiko Matsuda, as well as synthwave and new-age artists such as Jan Hammer, Cusco, and Tangerine Dream.
1/6 is the third extended play by South Korean singer Sunmi. It was released by Abyss Company on August 6, 2021. It is the singer's first Korean EP in nearly three years, following Warning (2018). The singer's third extended play features six songs including the lead single, "You Can't Sit with Us".