Nicola Hitchcock
Encyclopedia
Nicola Hitchcock is a British
singer and songwriter
. She is best known for having been the singer of the band Mandalay
(a critically acclaimed trip hop
duet from the United Kingdom). Following the demise of Mandalay, she has worked with various dance music and avant-garde musicians.
and Carole King
.
From the age of 15, she began gaining stage experience in local covers bands, learning to play accordion, keyboards and percussion in addition to her vocal and guitar skills. While training as a teacher (a career which she was ultimately unsuited for) Hitchcock took the opportunity to learn from degree music students, gaining lessons on classical composition and opera singing as well as keyboard skills.
, and to gain a place with them playing keyboards and singing backing vocals. The band recorded one album and split up, although Hitchcock continued working with their bass player for another three years. Following this, she wrote and recorded several 4-track demos of her own (using keyboard, acoustic guitar and drum machine) and marked time by performing solo as a voice-and-guitar act in various acoustic and folk clubs in London.
, who signed her up for her first solo album, 1993's A Bowl Of Chalk. In contrast to her later work with Mandalay and others, A Bowl Of Chalk was a low-key and mostly acoustic affair with a strong folk music influence. Hitchcock added folk instrumentation such as whistle, accordion and hand drum, and several tracks featured the celebrated British jazz/folk musician Danny Thompson
(ex-Pentangle
/John Martyn
) on double bass. (Other performers included Prefab Sprout
drummer Neil Conti
). In a Folk Roots magazine review, Colin Irwin praised Hitchcock's songwriting, commenting "there’s something indefinably magical in her delivery and in the very human troubled personal conflicts in her exceptional lyrics... a remarkable debut."
A Bowl Of Chalk boosted Hitchcock's reputation on London’s folk and acoustic circuit and led to full band performances at the Guildford Folk Festival, the Cambridge Folk Festival and the Phoenix Festival. Unfortunately, F-Beat Records folded shortly afterwards and the album went out of print.
and Portishead), Hitchcock now began to seek out other musical opportunities. Replying to another advert in Melody Maker
put her in touch with Chrysalis Music and with Saul Freeman. Freeman was a multi-instrumentalist/producer who had initially been the other half of the acclaimed pop duo Thieves
, before a falling-out with his partner (singer David McAlmont
) had left Freeman without a band and with his work released as McAlmont's debut album.
Hitchcock and Freeman formed another pop duo, Mandalay
, which blended Hitchcock's interest in singer-songwriter material and psychological/psychotherapeutic concepts with Freeman's textured arrangements and his mixture of trip-hop dance smoothness and post-punk avant-garde textures. Mandalay were courted by various major labels on completion of their first demos, but opted instead to sign to David Steele’s independent label Organic Records. Mandalay’s first single release, "Flowers Bloom" gained the Single of the Week award in Melody Maker, immediately strengthening their position. They subsequently signed to V2 Records, for whom they would release two albums, Empathy and Instinct.
Mandalay lasted for seven years, during which they received a good deal of critical acclaim and the tag of "Madonna's favourite band." The project ended in 2002 due to musical and personal differences. Hitchcock has hinted that one of the reasons may have been frustration at Freeman's degree of control over instrumentation, arrangement and production.
who chose her song "In My Memory
" for his first album, In My Memory. With a deft remix from him, it became the lead single for the album, the success of which led to a live performance by Hitchcock at the Dutch Music Awards in 2002.
Hitchcock's career was interrupted by a car accident, a relocation to Devon
and a period spent recuperating from the Epstein-Barr virus
. However, during this time she continued to be sought out by artists, musicians, and DJs contacting her via the internet and email with requests for possible collaborations. She began working on tracks from avant garde composers Hector Zazou
, Ryuichi Sakamoto
, Lenny Ibizarre and the underground artist & DJ Chris Brann
(Wamdue Project, T'paah etc.).
Hitchcock is currently working on her next solo record.
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...
singer and songwriter
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...
. She is best known for having been the singer of the band Mandalay
Mandalay (band)
Mandalay was a trip hop duo from the United Kingdom, composed of multi-instrumentalist Saul Freeman and singer Nicola Hitchcock...
(a critically acclaimed trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
duet from the United Kingdom). Following the demise of Mandalay, she has worked with various dance music and avant-garde musicians.
Childhood and musical roots
Nicola Hitchcock's father was a musician and actor turned TV producer/director, while her mother was a former actress - they divorced when Nicola was three. She has credited her father for her initial interest in music and for teaching her how to create her first songs. She began seriously writing songs from the age of nine, when she received her first acoustic guitar. Early influences included The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
.
From the age of 15, she began gaining stage experience in local covers bands, learning to play accordion, keyboards and percussion in addition to her vocal and guitar skills. While training as a teacher (a career which she was ultimately unsuited for) Hitchcock took the opportunity to learn from degree music students, gaining lessons on classical composition and opera singing as well as keyboard skills.
Early work in bands
During her twenties, Hitchcock gained work as a backing vocalist (and occasional instrumentalist) on the London live music circuit. Still lacking in confidence, she took a self-development course which gave her the courage to approach a band with an existing record deal who'd advertised for members in Melody MakerMelody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, and to gain a place with them playing keyboards and singing backing vocals. The band recorded one album and split up, although Hitchcock continued working with their bass player for another three years. Following this, she wrote and recorded several 4-track demos of her own (using keyboard, acoustic guitar and drum machine) and marked time by performing solo as a voice-and-guitar act in various acoustic and folk clubs in London.
A Bowl Of Chalk (first solo album) (1993)
One of the record companies to which Hitchcock had sent tapes was F-Beat RecordsF-Beat Records
F-Beat Records was one of the record labels set up by Jake Riviera in late 1979/early 1980, at the same time as he started Demon Records. The label's first release, I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, reached number 4 in the UK charts, the highest singles chart...
, who signed her up for her first solo album, 1993's A Bowl Of Chalk. In contrast to her later work with Mandalay and others, A Bowl Of Chalk was a low-key and mostly acoustic affair with a strong folk music influence. Hitchcock added folk instrumentation such as whistle, accordion and hand drum, and several tracks featured the celebrated British jazz/folk musician Danny Thompson
Danny Thompson
Daniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
(ex-Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
/John Martyn
John Martyn
John Martyn, OBE , born Iain David McGeachy, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a forty-year career he released twenty studio albums, working with artists such as Eric Clapton and David Gilmour...
) on double bass. (Other performers included Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout are an alternative English pop rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England who rose to fame during the 1980s. Eight of their albums have reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and one of their singles, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", peaked at number seven in the UK...
drummer Neil Conti
Neil Conti
Neil Conti is an English drummer and music producer who was an integral member of the pop/rock band Prefab Sprout, while continuing to be in demand as a session drummer for artists and bands such as David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, Cher, Level 42, Laurie Anderson, Steve Winwood, Paul Young,...
). In a Folk Roots magazine review, Colin Irwin praised Hitchcock's songwriting, commenting "there’s something indefinably magical in her delivery and in the very human troubled personal conflicts in her exceptional lyrics... a remarkable debut."
A Bowl Of Chalk boosted Hitchcock's reputation on London’s folk and acoustic circuit and led to full band performances at the Guildford Folk Festival, the Cambridge Folk Festival and the Phoenix Festival. Unfortunately, F-Beat Records folded shortly afterwards and the album went out of print.
Mandalay
Recently inspired by the developing trip-hop music scene (as spearheaded by Massive AttackMassive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
and Portishead), Hitchcock now began to seek out other musical opportunities. Replying to another advert in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
put her in touch with Chrysalis Music and with Saul Freeman. Freeman was a multi-instrumentalist/producer who had initially been the other half of the acclaimed pop duo Thieves
Thieves (band)
Thieves was a British pop duo active during the early 1990s. It was most notable for being the band on which both members – singer David McAlmont and multi-instrumentalist/producer Saul Freeman – based their subsequent musical careers.Critically feted by the British weekly music press during their...
, before a falling-out with his partner (singer David McAlmont
David McAlmont
David McAlmont is a British vocalist and songwriter.-Early years and Thieves:...
) had left Freeman without a band and with his work released as McAlmont's debut album.
Hitchcock and Freeman formed another pop duo, Mandalay
Mandalay (band)
Mandalay was a trip hop duo from the United Kingdom, composed of multi-instrumentalist Saul Freeman and singer Nicola Hitchcock...
, which blended Hitchcock's interest in singer-songwriter material and psychological/psychotherapeutic concepts with Freeman's textured arrangements and his mixture of trip-hop dance smoothness and post-punk avant-garde textures. Mandalay were courted by various major labels on completion of their first demos, but opted instead to sign to David Steele’s independent label Organic Records. Mandalay’s first single release, "Flowers Bloom" gained the Single of the Week award in Melody Maker, immediately strengthening their position. They subsequently signed to V2 Records, for whom they would release two albums, Empathy and Instinct.
Mandalay lasted for seven years, during which they received a good deal of critical acclaim and the tag of "Madonna's favourite band." The project ended in 2002 due to musical and personal differences. Hitchcock has hinted that one of the reasons may have been frustration at Freeman's degree of control over instrumentation, arrangement and production.
Post-Mandalay
After Mandalay's demise in 2002, Hitchcock's songwriting and vocal talents were sought out by TiëstoTiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
who chose her song "In My Memory
In My Memory (song)
In My Memory is a single which appeared in DJ Tiësto first album, In My Memory in 2001. The song includes vocals by Nicola Hitchcock of the band Mandalay. The song did not chart in Europe, but being the title track for the album it gained great success in North America.In My Memory was remixed by...
" for his first album, In My Memory. With a deft remix from him, it became the lead single for the album, the success of which led to a live performance by Hitchcock at the Dutch Music Awards in 2002.
Hitchcock's career was interrupted by a car accident, a relocation to Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and a period spent recuperating from the Epstein-Barr virus
Epstein-Barr virus
The Epstein–Barr virus , also called human herpesvirus 4 , is a virus of the herpes family and is one of the most common viruses in humans. It is best known as the cause of infectious mononucleosis...
. However, during this time she continued to be sought out by artists, musicians, and DJs contacting her via the internet and email with requests for possible collaborations. She began working on tracks from avant garde composers Hector Zazou
Hector Zazou
Hector Zazou was a prolific French composer and record producer who worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists...
, Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
, Lenny Ibizarre and the underground artist & DJ Chris Brann
Chris Brann
Chris Brann is an American electronic music producer and remixer. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Brann is known for his work under the monikers Wamdue Project and Ananda Project.-Career:...
(Wamdue Project, T'paah etc.).
Passive Aggressive (2005)
In 2005 Hitchcock released her second solo album Passive Aggressive, on her own label Tempted Records. The album compiled many of her recent collaborations - excluding "In My Memory" but including the work with Sakamoto, Brann, Ibizarre and Zazou (as well as newer work with Sounds from the Ground, the string trio Echo and frequent Thieves/Mandalay collaborator Michael J. Ade).Current work (2006 onwards)
In 2006, Hitchcock was approached by Justin Elswick of the electronic dance project Sleepthief, which led to her co-writing and performing the song "You Did A Good Thing" on Sleepthief's debut album The Dawnseeker.Hitchcock is currently working on her next solo record.
solo
- A Bowl Of Chalk (1993) (F-Beat RecordsF-Beat RecordsF-Beat Records was one of the record labels set up by Jake Riviera in late 1979/early 1980, at the same time as he started Demon Records. The label's first release, I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, reached number 4 in the UK charts, the highest singles chart...
) - Passive Aggressive (2005) (Tempted Records)
with Mandalay
- Empathy (V2 Records)
- Instinct (V2 Records)
- Solace (V2 Records USA)