Miki Berenyi
Encyclopedia
Miki Berenyi is an English musician, singer, songwriter
and guitarist
.
. They became interested in music and together wrote the music
fanzine
Alphabet Soup (which only lasted for five issues). Berenyi first played bass with the band, The Bugs, and later went on to play with Lillies
. "In 1988, Berenyi studied English literature at the North London Polytechnic
, where she met drummer Christopher Acland, bassist Steve Rippon, and singer Meriel Barham. Along with Anderson, they decided to form their own band". When Meriel Barham left, "the remaining members of Lush placed ads in local papers looking for Barham's replacement, but they couldn't find the singer they wanted, and Berenyi took over the vocals".
From 1988 until 1996, she played with Lush, releasing several album
s, singles
and videos
, and toured extensively through the UK
, North America
, Japan
, Australia
and other countries.
Lush officially announced their break up in February of 1998, following the suicide of drummer Chris Acland
in October of 1996.
After Lush split, Berenyi appeared on The Rentals
1999 album
Seven More Minutes
. She also contributed vocals to a remix of a Flat 7 track by the Cocteau Twins
's Robin Guthrie
(who also produced Lush's early work)," and appeared on the debut album of Eric Matthews
's Seinking Ships, Museum Quality Capture, released in 2010.
When asked if she missed anything about her time in Lush, she stated, "I miss the excitement and energy of playing live and the camaraderie of touring – being with the band and crew in a foreign country is like going on holiday with your mates but even more fun because it’s free." "I enjoyed being in the band immensely, I’m glad I did it."
She currently works for a magazine as a sub-editor.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
Music
At the age of 14, Berenyi met her friend and future bandmate, Emma AndersonEmma Anderson
Emma Anderson is an English musician. She is best known for being a songwriter, guitarist and backing singer in the shoegazing/Britpop band, Lush. As a keen music fan, she used to write a fanzine called Alphabet Soup with school friend Miki Berenyi when she was a teenager...
. They became interested in music and together wrote the music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
Alphabet Soup (which only lasted for five issues). Berenyi first played bass with the band, The Bugs, and later went on to play with Lillies
Lillies (band)
The Lillies were an indie rock band formed as a collaboration between members of the bands Cocteau Twins , Lush and Moose ....
. "In 1988, Berenyi studied English literature at the North London Polytechnic
University of North London
The University of North London was a university in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2002. On 1 August 2002, it merged with London Guildhall University to form London Metropolitan University. The former University of North London premises now form the new university's north campus, situated on...
, where she met drummer Christopher Acland, bassist Steve Rippon, and singer Meriel Barham. Along with Anderson, they decided to form their own band". When Meriel Barham left, "the remaining members of Lush placed ads in local papers looking for Barham's replacement, but they couldn't find the singer they wanted, and Berenyi took over the vocals".
From 1988 until 1996, she played with Lush, releasing several album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and videos
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, and toured extensively through the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and other countries.
Lush officially announced their break up in February of 1998, following the suicide of drummer Chris Acland
Chris Acland
Chris Acland was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the London based shoegazing and britpop musical ensemble, Lush.-Biography:Christopher John Dyke Acland was born in Lancaster Infirmary...
in October of 1996.
After Lush split, Berenyi appeared on The Rentals
The Rentals
The Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp, best known as the former bass player for rock group Weezer. The band is best known for their mid-1990s hit single, "Friends of P.". The group has released two albums, Return of the Rentals and Seven More Minutes on Maverick...
1999 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Seven More Minutes
Seven More Minutes
Seven More Minutes, the second album by The Rentals, was released on April 13, 1999 and features numerous guests such as: Petra Haden , Donna Matthews , Miki Berenyi , Tim Wheeler , Kevin March, and Damon Albarn .-Theme:A good amount of Seven More Minutes was written by Matt Sharp...
. She also contributed vocals to a remix of a Flat 7 track by the Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
's Robin Guthrie
Robin Guthrie
Robin Guthrie is a musician best known as co-founder of the Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has played guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and other musical instruments, in addition to programming, sampling and sound processing...
(who also produced Lush's early work)," and appeared on the debut album of Eric Matthews
Eric Matthews
Eric Matthews is an American composer, musician, recording artist, and record producer.-Career:Eric Matthews began his serious recording career as one half of the band Cardinal. Cardinal was formed with Australian singer-songwriter Richard Davies in 1992 while the two both lived in Boston,...
's Seinking Ships, Museum Quality Capture, released in 2010.
When asked if she missed anything about her time in Lush, she stated, "I miss the excitement and energy of playing live and the camaraderie of touring – being with the band and crew in a foreign country is like going on holiday with your mates but even more fun because it’s free." "I enjoyed being in the band immensely, I’m glad I did it."
She currently works for a magazine as a sub-editor.
Additional information
- Berenyi is of mixed JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese and HungarianHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
parentage. - Her mother, Yasuko NagazumiYasuko Nagazumiis a producer and manager in Hollywood responsible for print advertising campaigns for clients such as Armani, Donna Karan, Guess?, Pirelli, Vogue Magazine and working with photographers Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton and others....
was a Japanese actress who played minor roles in the James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie You Only Live TwiceYou Only Live Twice (film)You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
and in TV-series Space: 1999Space: 1999Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
. - Berenyi Light Arms, a fictional firearms company, was named after her in the SLA IndustriesSLA IndustriesSLA Industries is a role-playing game first published in 1993 by Nightfall Games in Glasgow, Scotland. The game is set in a dystopian far-flung future in which the majority of the known universe is either owned or indirectly controlled by the eponymous corporation "SLA Industries" and incorporates...
Role-playing game. Her likeness appears in one of the illustrations in the SLA Industries rulebook. - Miki is a fairly common girl's name in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(ese) - On playing guitar, "I was never a proper guitarist – only in the context of Lush. I played the guitar to write songs on and to play live."
- Played 506 shows in 8 years with Lush
- There is an online Bring Back Miki Campaign to which she responds, "I guess it’s flattering that anybody gives a shit. Not sure how enthusiastic the support would be if they realized that bringing back Miki Berenyi would deliver a 40-year-old office employee with greying hair who's still struggling to shift the weight from her last pregnancy."
External links
- Under the Radar interview, November, 2007 http://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/miki_berenyi_interview_1020071/
- vonpipmusicalexpress − Interview with Miki, published January 25, 2008
- vonpipmusicalexpress − Miki commenting Lush promo photos, published January 27, 2008
- http://www.lightfromadeadstar.org/