Miel de Botton is a Swiss singer-songwriter, art collector, clinical psychologist and philanthropist. She is the daughter of Gilbert de Botton and granddaughter of

Yolande Harmer Yolande Harmer (born Yolande Gabbai, he, יולנדה הארמר; 1913–1959) was an Israeli intelligence officer who operated in Egypt in 1948. She was recruited due to her connections in elite and royal circles and she has been described as "I ...

. Her brother is

Alain de Botton Alain de Botton (; born 20 December 1969) is a Swiss-born British author and philosopher. His books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. He published ''Essays in Love'' (1993), w ...

Early life

Born in Switzerland, Miel grew up in Zurich and studied law at Oxford University. She subsequently qualified in clinical psychology, later practicing in Paris with a focus on the treatment of drug addiction.

Musical career

After relocating to London from Paris, Miel began to write and perform her own music, in collaboration with producer Andy Wright. She has released two albums, ''Magnetic'' (2015) and ''Surrender to the Feeling'' (2019), and also performed at numerous festivals as well as touring nationally with artists including

Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish soft rock band formed in 1982. They scored a number of hits in the UK charts and around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. They are best known for their 1994 cover of The Troggs' 1960s hit "Love Is All Around", which w ...

and

Rhydian Roberts Rhydian James Roberts (born 14 February 1983), also known mononymously as Rhydian, is a Welsh baritone singer, television presenter and musical theatre actor. He made his name by finishing second in series 4 of ''The X Factor'', and has since ...

Philanthropy and charitable work

Miel's charitable and philanthropic work has included support for the cancer charity Maggie's, the Nordoff Robbins music therapy charity, the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

, the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

for Nature, and the

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

, as well as the

Jerusalem International YMCA Jerusalem International YMCA is a YMCA branch in Jerusalem established in the early twentieth century. History In 1924, Archibald Clinton Harte, General Secretary of the International YMCA, raised the sum of one million dollars towards the const ...

Youth Choir. In 2021, following nomination as a WWF Youth Ambassador, her song "I was Given Nature" was chosen for its annual Earth Hour event. In 2015 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...

in recognition of her role establishing centres for protein profiling and marine science.

Other work

Miel produced the documentary film ''Yolande – An Unsung Heroine'' (2010) about her grandmother

, an Israeli intelligence officer operating from the mid nineteen-forties, and whose work has been recognised in helping establish the modern State of Israel. She also produced the film '' Waste Land'' (2010), along with her former husband, Angus Aynsley, which chronicles the story of Brazilian artist

Vik Muniz Vik Muniz (; born 1961) is a Brazilian artist and photographer. Initially a sculptor, Muniz grew interested with the photographic representations of his work, eventually focusing completely on photography. Primarily working with unconventional ma ...

and his collaboration with a group of waste pickers ( catadores) at the world's largest landfill site in Rio de Janeiro. The film was Oscar-nominated.

References

External links

Miel Music
nbsp;– official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Botton, Miel de Swiss expatriates in England Swiss art collectors Swiss philanthropists Living people People from Zürich Year of birth missing (living people) Swiss songwriters Swiss people of Egyptian-Jewish descent Swiss Ashkenazi Jews Swiss Sephardi Jews