Nicky Holland

Last updated

Nicky Holland
Born (1959-02-20) 20 February 1959 (age 65)
Origin Hertfordshire, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • vocalist
Instrument(s)
  • Piano
  • keyboards
Years active1981–present
Labels

Nicky Holland (born 20 February 1959) is an English musician and singer-songwriter, notable for being a previous backing pianist/keyboardist, vocalist and co-songwriter for the band Tears for Fears during the 1980s.

Contents

Early life

Nicky Holland began studying piano at a young age; while attending the Royal Academy of Music, she grew inspired by the makings of Carole King. [1]

Career

After graduating, Holland proceeded with her studies at the City University in London, England. There, she met classmates Virginia Astley and Kate St John, who she soon formed the band The Ravishing Beauties with in 1981. The trio played in numerous clubs, gaining association with Julian Cope and The Teardrop Explodes, and later supported them on their tours. They also recorded with Echo & the Bunnymen, Skids, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. [2] In 1982, she went on to support Fun Boy Three, becoming their musical director and performing on their album Waiting .

Around a year later, she joined The Escape, a band that opened for Tears for Fears on their tour for their debut album, The Hurting in 1983. [3] After the Escape broke up, Nicky Holland was offered the chance to support Tears for Fears on their world tour in 1985, circulating the release of their hit album Songs from the Big Chair .

During her time with Tears for Fears, she appeared in the music video for "Head over Heels", and in the band's 1985 documentary Scenes from the Big Chair . Her piano playing is featured in their cover of "Sea Song" by Robert Wyatt, which served as a B-side to the single for "I Believe (A Soulful Re-recording)". She continued working with the group through 1987, being credited as co-writer for most of the band's third album The Seeds of Love as well as a pianist and backing vocalist. [4]

After moving to New York City in the late 80s, Holland signed on to the record label Epic in 1990, and spent the next year writing, recording and mixing her debut solo album Nicky Holland, which was released in 1991. Throughout the 1990s, she supported several musical artists. In 1993, she was a featured pianist in Cyndi Lauper's album Hat Full of Stars . [5] She released her second album Sense and Sensuality in 1997.

She resumed her career in 2010. Within the next few years, Holland co-wrote songs with a variety of artists such as Nick Howard and Peter Plate. In 2017, she released a compilation album titled Nobody's Girl, [6] which featured songs from her two previous albums.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tears for Fears</span> English pop rock band

Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands of the 1980s, and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Brown (singer)</span> English singer and musician (born 1964)

Samantha Brown is an English singer, songwriter and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Carrack</span> British musician

Paul Melvyn Carrack is an English singer, musician, songwriter and composer who has recorded as both a solo artist and as a member of several popular bands. The BBC dubbed Carrack "The Man with the Golden Voice", while Record Collector remarked: "If vocal talent equalled financial success, Paul Carrack would be a bigger name than legends such as Phil Collins or Elton John."

<i>The Seeds of Love</i> 1989 studio album by Tears for Fears

The Seeds of Love is the third studio album by British pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 September 1989 by Fontana Records. It retained the band's epic sound while incorporating influences ranging from jazz and soul to Beatlesque pop. Its lengthy production and scrapped recording sessions cost over £1 million. The album spawned the title hit single "Sowing the Seeds of Love," as well as "Woman in Chains," and "Advice for the Young at Heart", both of which reached the top 40 in several countries.

<i>Elemental</i> (Tears for Fears album) 1993 studio album by Tears for Fears

Elemental is the fourth studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 7 June 1993 by Mercury Records. It was the band's first album recorded following the departure of co-founder Curt Smith, with Roland Orzabal assuming sole leadership with the help of additional musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carina Round</span> English musician (born 1979)

Carina Round is an English singer-songwriter from Wolverhampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. P. Arnold</span> American singer (born 1946)

Patricia Ann Cole, known professionally as P. P. Arnold, is an American soul singer. Arnold began her career as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1965. The following year she relocated to London to pursue a solo career. Arnold enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom with her singles "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1967) and "Angel of the Morning" (1968).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland Orzabal</span> English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer

Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana is a British musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, main songwriter and a co-founder of Tears for Fears. Orzabal has been the only constant member of the band, having appeared on every Tears for Fears studio album. He is also a producer of artists such as Oleta Adams. In 2014, Orzabal published his first novel, a romantic comedy.

Ian Christopher Stanley is a British musician, songwriter and record producer. He was a member of Tears for Fears for most of the 1980s, and played a key role in the making of their multi-platinum-selling third studio album Songs from the Big Chair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleta Adams</span> American singer and pianist (born 1953)

Oleta Angela Adams is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. She found limited success during the early 1980s, before gaining fame via her contributions to Tears for Fears' international chart-topping album The Seeds of Love (1989). Her albums Circle of One (1991) and Evolution (1993) were top 10 hits in the UK; the former yielded a Grammy-nominated cover of Brenda Russell's "Get Here", which was a top 5 hit in both the UK and the U.S. Adams has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, as well as two Soul Train Music Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Ann Dorsey</span> American singer and bassist

Gail Ann Dorsey is an American musician. With a long career as a session musician mainly on bass guitar, she performed regularly in David Bowie's band, from 1995 to Bowie's last tour in 2004.

Virginia Astley is an English singer-songwriter most active during the 1980s and 1990s. Her songwriting career started in 1980. Her classical training influenced her, as did a desire to be experimental with her music. Although most popular in Asia, most notably Japan, she remains a cult artist in her native England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamila Thompson</span> Musical artist

Kamila Thompson is a singer-songwriter based in London and New York. She is more commonly known as Kami Thompson. She has been seen touring with Bonny Prince Billy, Teddy Thompson, Sean Lennon and others, as well as appearances with the Wainwright clan at Carnegie Hall and with a host of illustrious artists at Hal Willner's "Came So Far for Beauty" Leonard Cohen tribute in Dublin. Her debut recording, an EP Bad Marriage, was released in June 2010. Her debut album Love Lies was released in the UK on Warner Music in 2011. Thompson also performs and records as part of the band The Rails with husband James Walbourne. The band's first EP Habit was released on Edwyn Collins' label AED Records in early 2012, and their debut album Fair Warning was released on Island Records' legendary Pink label on 5 May 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advice for the Young at Heart</span> 1990 single by Tears for Fears

"Advice for the Young at Heart" is a song by the English band Tears for Fears, taken from their 1989 album The Seeds of Love. It was released as the third single from the album in February 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woman in Chains</span> 1989 single by Tears for Fears featuring Oleta Adams

"Woman in Chains" is a song by English band Tears for Fears, released as the second single from their third studio album, The Seeds of Love (1989). It has been described as a "feminist anthem". It was an international success, reaching the top 40 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, and the Netherlands.

<i>Going to California</i> (Tears for Fears video)

Going to California is a concert performance video by the British group Tears for Fears. Released in 1990, it is a recording of the band's show at the Santa Barbara County Bowl in May 1990 during their "Seeds of Love" World Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Escape (band)</span> English new wave band

The Escape were an English new wave band from Bristol, formed in 1981 by Alan Griffiths (vocals/guitar) and Emil (drums) from Apartment with bassist Stuart Morgan.

Scars on 45 are an English indie rock band from Bradford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Narducy</span> American musician

Jason V. Narducy is an American musician from Evanston, Illinois, United States.

References

  1. ↑ Skelly, Richard. "Nicky Holland". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "The Ravishing Beauties". LastFm. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "4.13) Who is Nicky Holland?". MemoriesFade. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "The Seeds Of Love- Credits". RateYourMusic. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "Hat Full of Stars- Credits". Lauperland. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  6. ↑ Hogan, Maura (15 February 2018). "Key Player". Charleston Magazine. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.