Sheila Nicholls
Sheila Elizabeth Nicholls (born February 9, 1970 in Colchester ) is a British singer, composer and producer. Today she lives in Los Angeles .
Life
Sheila Nicholls spent part of her school days at a boarding school in Felsted , Essex , but, much to her father's annoyance, devoted her time more to music than school material.
To annoy her father, she went on a so-called nude run at the age of 19 . On the day of the England versus Australia cricket match on May 29, 1989, she drove with a friend to the prestigious Lord's Cricket Ground in London. After a commercial break during the broadcast of the game by the BBC , she jumped over the fence and sprinted naked past all folders over the cricket lawn in front of 25,000 viewers and 20 million live TV viewers. After the run she was led to a room that was actually reserved for older, male members, but in which the Queen , Queen Mother, Lady Diana and Princess Anne were on that day . This performance earned her national fame and a mention on the front pages of many magazines in England and Australia, along with her father's anger. She found herself on billboards and on the pages of many London buses for the next week.
In the next few days, Nicholls received numerous inquiries and offers, for example from the men's magazine Penthouse and talk shows on English TV channels. Her parents, however, were more interested in rehabilitating their ailing family honor. Nicholls then failed her final exam and was kicked out by her father in the summer of 1989.
Moved to the USA
Nicholls subsequently worked as a waitress in London and, with the money saved, traveled to a friend in Los Angeles . In her host family, she met a producer who had just returned from England, knew her antics and who put her in touch with a few short jobs. From the beginning of 1990 she stayed in the USA for nine years without a residence permit, got by with temporary jobs and temporarily stayed overnight on a bus. When this collapsed in New York , she stayed there and then worked for four years as a nanny, waitress and social worker.
With friends she founded the band "Sheila Nicholls and the Splendidfrock" until the record company Hollywood Records from Los Angeles showed interest in their demo recordings and invited them to recordings in California.
Musical career
The first album "Brief Stop" was created in Los Angeles between 1996 and 1997 with the single "Fallen for you", which made it onto the soundtrack of the film "High Fidelity" in 2000 after a major tour. The album hit the top of the American college charts when it was released in 1999. The long-awaited financial freedom resulted from the record deal, which Nicholls helped to buy a house in the Echo Park district and set up his own studio.
The second CD, "Wake", was to become more commercial and radio-friendly at the request of Hollywood Records. The resulting single "Faith" made it into the top 40 of the American charts and brought Nicholls a television appearance on Jay Leno . The album was recorded with producer Glen Ballard and mixed in London. There is an "audio DVD" of "Wake", recorded in the surround process , with its melancholy and thoughtful songs. In 2002, Sheila Nicholls' band was the opening act for the Canadian singer kd lang's European tour .
After a seven-year break, the third CD "Songs from the Bardo" was released in 2009. The term "bardo" comes from Buddhism and describes the fine line between life and death, happiness and unhappiness. Nicholls tries to musically represent this fine line. She wrote and composed all of her songs herself and has not recorded any cover versions so far.
Discography
Albums
- Letter Strop (1999)
- Wake (2002)
- Songs from the Bardo (2009)
Singles
- Fall for you
- How strong
- Faith
Personal
Sheila Nicholls sees herself as a left-wing rebel and a modern hippie . Your musical role models are therefore the American singers and songwriters of the 1970s. The back of the CD "Songs from the Bardo" shows Nicholls together with her dog in their converted, former school bus "Arabella", which is parked in front of their house in northeast Los Angeles. Because of her phobia of the frequent earthquakes in this region, she sleeps there and goes to concerts and festivals in it. She has set up a small studio in the garage opposite.
Sheila Nicholls was married to Alan Minsky, program director of the alternative Californian radio station KPFK, until 2014 and was the mother of their daughter Emilia, who was born in 2006. The former couple now live on the same property in two houses and share the upbringing of their daughter.
Sheila Nicholls sings in the choir of the spiritual community Agape (ancient Greek: "Unrestrained Love") in Culver City near LA, at whose events she occasionally appears on the piano. Keyboardist Mitchel Forman also plays there and supports them in their musical projects. In May 2014 he supported her musically when she performed in a duet with her friend Dave Stringer at Agape. Stringer is a " Kirtan Singer" who is oriented towards Indian music and, as he said at a concert in Taunusstein in October 2013, sees Germany as his largest European fan base. He therefore speaks German quite well.
Sheila Nicholls co-founded the Los Angeles section of Occupy Wall Street in 2012 .
In addition to a 35-page book in DIN A2 format, in which she meticulously archived the newspaper clippings from her naked run from 1989, Sheila Nicholls is always extremely proud of her extensive collection of dresses and skirts, which she likes to wear in view of the Californian warmth changes frequently. As a teenager, she preferred to wear skirts and dresses instead of pants.
The addition to her New York band "Sheila Nicholls and the Splendidfrock" (frock = dress) also came from this passion. Following her passion, the online shop Frock and Droll was founded in 2013 , which not only offers skirts but also clothing for the whole family.
Web links
- Official website
- Video of Sheila Nicholl's nude run
- Website of her fashion label "Frog and Droll"
- [1]
- [2]
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nicholls, Sheila |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nicols, Sheila Elizabeth (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British singer, composer and producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 9, 1970 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Colchester |