Nadia Reid (born 26 August 1991) is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from
Port Chalmers, New Zealand. She has been acclaimed for her intimate musical soundscape and unique voice, and has been described by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' as "an understated, wise guide through uncertain territory" and by ''Revue'' as "allegorical and often brutally honest". Her three albums, ''Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs'' (2015), ''Preservation'' (2017), and ''Out of My Province'' (2020), have received acclaim in New Zealand and internationally.
Reid performs live with a regular band of musicians consisting of Sam Taylor (guitar), Richie Pickard (bass), and Joe McCallum (drums).
Early life
Born in
Dunedin, New Zealand
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
, Reid is the daughter of Karin Reid and Craig O’Reilly. She was educated at
Logan Park High School and
Queen's High School. Reid began playing the guitar at 14, and went on to win best female musician in the
Smokefreerockquest
Smokefreerockquest (SFRQ) is an annual music competition for intermediate and high school bands throughout New Zealand.
The first Rockquest was held in 1988, and was organised by Christchurch radio station C93FM as a local event. The following ...
. She was a member of the Queen's madrigal choir, who won the New Zealand Choral Federation Millennium Trophy (Otago) for secondary school choirs in 2009.
Career
At the age of 18, Reid moved to
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
. She released several EPs and began performing her original songs. Several short EPs followed, and as opportunities to perform nationally arose she moved to
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, and then
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
.
2014–2016: Crowdfunding and release of debut album
Reid was encouraged to work toward her first full-length album and was already connected to
Lyttelton-based producer Ben Edwards. Without startup capital, Reid set up a
PledgeMe campaign, which was given a significant boost after she opened for
Tiny Ruins
Tiny Ruins are a musical ensemble from Auckland, New Zealand.
History
Tiny Ruins began as an alias for singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook, who recorded as a solo artist prior to 2009.Simon Grig/ref> drummer Gary Hunt
Gary Hunt (born 11 J ...
.
This gave her a footing to record and self-release ''Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs'' at Edwards' Sitting Rooms Studios.
In early 2015, Reid was signed to Australian indie label Spunk Records and the album was released officially in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and New Zealand. ''Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs'' was warmly received by critics, and in 2016 was nominated for a Tui award for best folk album and for the
Taite Music Prize
The Taite Music Prize is an annual New Zealand music award event. It features the same-named prize awarded for the best album from New Zealand.
The prize is named after respected New Zealand music journalist and broadcaster Dylan Taite, who die ...
.
After a period living and playing shows in Australia, Reid returned home to Port Chalmers and began an English Degree at the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate u ...
.
''Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs'' was quickly licensed for UK, US and European release, which opened the door to Reid’s first tour of the UK and Europe in 2016.
2017–present: World tours and second album
Before leaving the country for the tour, Reid returned to the Lyttleton studio with Ben Edwards and her backing band where they recorded her sophomore album ''Preservation''.
The tour was a success, and while in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Reid was approached with a co-management offer with
Melodic Records
Melodic Records is a British independent record label founded by David Cooper in 1999. Based in Manchester, England, the label have recently released their 132nd release as of October 2021Strawbery Guys 'Sun Outside My Window' album) and celebrat ...
. This was followed by a publishing deal with Basin Rock Records and an endorsement from Crafter Guitars.
Since its release on 3 March 2017, ''Preservation'' has been met with a positive reception.
Reid opened for
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown.
In 2000, Adams left ...
at his sold-out Auckland show on 20 May 2017.
Awards
Reid’s first single from ‘’Preservation’’, Richard, saw her nominated for the
APRA Silver Scroll
The APRA Music Awards are several annual and two-yearly award ceremonies run in New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members. APRA hold the annual Silver ...
award in 2017, regarded as New Zealand’s most important songwriting award.
Judges described the song as "a stand-out folk-rock gem with its wonderfully direct delivery, charting heartbreak and dissolution, through striking imagery".
Also in 2017, producer Ben Edwards won a
New Zealand Music Award for his work on ''Preservation'', and Reid herself was nominated for Best Solo Artist, Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Best Alternative Artist.
Film and television appearances
On 26 September 2017, Reid made her UK television debut with her band, appearing on ''
Later... with Jools Holland'' on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Other charted songs
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Nadial
1991 births
21st-century New Zealand women singers
Living people
New Zealand folk musicians
New Zealand women singer-songwriters
New Zealand singer-songwriters
Musicians from Dunedin
People from Port Chalmers
Spacebomb Records artists