Nerina Pallot
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Nerina Natasha Georgina Pallot (born 26 April 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and producer, who has released six albums and over a dozen EPs. She was nominated for British Female Solo Artist at the
2007 BRIT Awards Brit Awards 2007 was the 27th edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 14 February 2007 at Earls Court in London. The show, wh ...
and nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for "
Sophia Sophia means "wisdom" in Greek. It may refer to: *Sophia (wisdom) *Sophia (Gnosticism) *Sophia (given name) Places *Niulakita or Sophia, an island of Tuvalu *Sophia, Georgetown, a ward of Georgetown, Guyana *Sophia, North Carolina, an unincorpor ...
" in the category of 'Best Song (musically and lyrically)' in the same year. Besides her own material, Pallot has written songs for
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
and Diana Vickers. She mostly tours around the UK and is married to record producer Andy Chatterley.


Early life

Pallot was born in London and brought up in
Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
by a half-French father and a mother from Prayag, India, together with her sister. Pallot played
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
as a child and wrote her first song aged 13. She has identified seeing singer and pianist Kate Bush perform her hit song "
This Woman's Work "This Woman's Work" is a song written and performed by the British singer Kate Bush. It was originally featured on the soundtrack of the American film ''She's Having a Baby'' (1988). The song was released as the second single from her album ''T ...
" on television series ''
Wogan ''Wogan'' is a British television talk show which was broadcast on BBC1 from 1982 until 1992, presented by Terry Wogan. It was usually broadcast live from the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London, until 1991. It was then broadcast ...
'' as a catalyst for her to pursue a music career. She attended
Jersey College for Girls Jersey College for Girls (JCG, Jèrriais: ''Lé collège jèrriais pour les fil'yes'') is a government-run, fee-paying, academically selective
and received a music scholarship for
Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...
.


Career


2001–2003: ''Dear Frustrated Superstar''

Pallot released her debut album, '' Dear Frustrated Superstar'', on
Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
records in August 2001. This spawned two singles, "Patience" and "Alien". She was subsequently dropped from the label mainly due to failing sales. The album was eventually re-issued several years later after her second album, ''Fires'' had become a commercial success. Her then-manager Richard Ogden noted that his company spent "three years managing her while she had a huge record deal and was a massive priority for Polydor. We did the best job we possibly could, but it just didn't happen". In 2003 she sang lead vocals on the track "Truly" on Delerium's album '' Chimera'', which was also released as a single in the UK.


2004–2008: ''Fires''

Her second album, '' Fires'', was released in April 2005 on her own independent label, Idaho. It was published by Chrysalis Music Publishing, to whom she remained signed and provided her with a development deal. They initially provided her with £50,000 to make the album. When that proved insufficient for Pallot's needs, she remortgaged her house to complete the rest of the album. The album was produced and mixed by Howard Willing together with producers
Eric Rosse Eric Ivan Rosse is an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and mixer. Rosse started playing piano at age 8, eventually studying orchestration and arranging with Joe Rotundi Sr., whose mentorship—along with influences of soul, rock ...
who produced "Learning to Breathe" and "Heart Attack" (co-produced by Willing) and
Wendy Melvoin Wendy Ann Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy ...
who produced "Damascus". After the initial tracks were finished the rest of the record was apparently completed by Willing and Pallot flying files back and forth from London to Los Angeles. The album was preceded by a download-only single, " Everybody's Gone to War". A second single from the record, "Damascus" was released in June 2005, and a third, "All Good People" (a Radio 2 single of the week) was released in September 2005. She performed at the 2005 Guildfest music festival and headlined her own show at Bush Hall in Shepherd's Bush, London later that year. At the end of 2005, Pallot signed with 14th Floor Records (a Warner label), who re-issued the album after adding strings on some tracks, on 24 April 2006, earning Pallot a chart success by reaching Number 21. With over 100,000 sales it was certified gold in the UK. The first single from the revamped album was "Everybody's Gone to War", which was playlisted on most major British radio stations. The single became the third most played song on British radio the week before its release, and reached Number 14 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. She undertook her first full headlining tour in support of the ''Fires'' album in May 2006. During the year she also played headline shows in London at ICA, the Bloomsbury Theatre, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and at Shepherd's Bush Empire. The second single from the album was "
Sophia Sophia means "wisdom" in Greek. It may refer to: *Sophia (wisdom) *Sophia (Gnosticism) *Sophia (given name) Places *Niulakita or Sophia, an island of Tuvalu *Sophia, Georgetown, a ward of Georgetown, Guyana *Sophia, North Carolina, an unincorpor ...
", a re-recorded version, created in LA along with producer Mitchell Froom, entered the UK singles chart at Number 32. In April 2007, the song was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award, while she toured around the UK and Ireland in January and February of that year. The next single from the re-released version of ''Fires'' was "Learning to Breathe", which reached Number 70 in the UK singles chart.


2009–2010: ''The Graduate''

Pallot worked with several big name co-writers in preparation for the follow-up to ''Fires'', including Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful") and Rob Davis (Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head"). She also wrote an album's worth of material with Rick Nowels (Madonna's "Power of Goodbye", Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is A Place on Earth"). However, she struggled with the co-writing process and in the end only self-written songs made the album. '' The Graduate'' was released on 5 October 2009 in the UK and reached number 46 on the Official UK Albums Chart in its first week of release. The standard version of the album features 10 original tracks, whereas the iTunes version contains three additional tracks, and the deluxe version contains seven acoustic versions of the tracks. The album polarised critics, with some lauding it as her best album yet and others seeing her change of direction from ''Fires'' as a mistake. Having had no intention of releasing ''Fires 2'', Pallot has defended the need for a progression between the two records. She toured the UK in October 2009, including a performance at Glasgow's Oran Mor venue on Wednesday 7 October, showcasing songs from the new album ''The Graduate''.


2011–2013: ''Year of the Wolf''

In July 2010, Pallot returned to Geffen Records and to the A&R that first signed her to Polydor while embarking on an eight-day tour around the UK and Ireland. She confirmed her new album would be titled ''
Year of the Wolf ''Year of the Wolf'' is the fourth album by British singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot. It was released on 13 June 2011. The first single is the track "Put Your Hands Up". Popjustice called the song "an understated yet patently brilliant tune" and ...
'' via her Twitter page on 21 January 2011. She recorded with
Bernard Butler Bernard Joseph Butler (born 1 May 1970) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the first guitarist with Suede, until his departure in 1994. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his ...
for the album. The lead single was "Put Your Hands Up", released 24 April, while the album was released 13 June 2011.


2014: ''Year of the EPs''

For her next project, Pallot decided to release an EP every month in 2014, as she "just got sick of the album, tour, single... that whole cycle". The first was called ''The Hold Tight'' in January, followed by ''We Should Break Up'' in February. She found that "I'm at a point in my career where I can pretty much make it up now. I've also realised that a true fan base ..cares about hearing as much music as they can get their hands on". Pallot supported the releases with a handful of tour dates across the UK. In September 2015 she released her fifth album ''The Sound and the Fury''.


2015–2016: ''The Sound and the Fury''

In 2015, Pallot independently released her fifth studio album ''
The Sound and the Fury ''The Sound and the Fury'' is a novel by the American author William Faulkner. It employs several narrative styles, including stream of consciousness. Published in 1929, ''The Sound and the Fury'' was Faulkner's fourth novel, and was not immedi ...
'' via her own Idaho label.


2017: ''Stay Lucky''

2017 saw the release of Pallot's sixth studio album, ''Stay Lucky''. The album includes the track "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter", which takes its title from Carson McCullers' debut novel of 1940 - and which Pallot herself has described as 'the best song I have ever written'.


2022–present: ''I Don't Know What I'm Doing''

2022 saw the release of Pallot's seventh studio album, ''I Don't Know What I'm Doing''


Videos

Pallot has released six videos to go with singles from ''Dear Frustrated Superstar'', ''Fires'', and ''Year of the Wolf''. Her first video for "Patience", directed by Swedish director Emma Hvengaard, features Pallot in various scenes, notably wearing white and barefoot, continually floating to and from earth. "Alien" begins with Pallot lying down, it then becomes apparent that she had fallen onto a plumber's van, crushing it, and the video implies she has fallen from the sky "like an alien". The unreleased "If I Know You" video features multiple Nerinas fighting each other in a theatre. For "Damascus", Pallot is seen playing piano and singing in a recording studio. Pallot's next video was for "Everybody's Gone to War", which includes cabbage-throwing goths and pineapple bombs. Her next video was for "Sophia", and was filmed in the middle of the desert in
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
. It has Pallot sitting at a piano, playing and singing while fire surrounds her in a circle and her piano smokes and is also alight. Pallot's next performance, "Learning to Breathe", is more "abstract" and is computer-generated with her playing the guitar in a house with many pictures decorating the walls. The video for "Put Your Hands Up", the lead single from ''Year of the Wolf'', was shot in and around Lant Street in
Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
,
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 ...
.


Songwriting and production

*Pallot along with her husband Andy Chatterley wrote and produced two songs for ''
Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
'', the 2010 album by
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
, the title track "
Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
" and third single " Better than Today", which first appeared on Pallot's ''Buckminster Fuller'' EP from 2009. *Pallot wrote and co-produced "Put It Back Together" for Diana Vickers from her debut album ''
Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree ''Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree'' is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Diana Vickers. Originally set for a November 2009 release, the album was postponed due to Vickers' leading role in the West End play '' The Rise ...
'', Vickers performed 'Put It Back Together' as a special guest at Pallot's live concert at Union Chapel in
Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...
, north London, on 28 April 2010. *Pallot's "Real Late Starter" was covered by 2009 X Factor UK winner Joe McElderry for his debut album, ''
Wide Awake Wide Awake or Wideawake may refer to: Places *Wide Awake, South Carolina, US *Prestonville, Kentucky, US, formerly Wideawake * Wideawake Airfield or RAF Ascension Island, a British military base Books and publications * ''Wide Awake'' (magazine), ...
'', released on 25 October 2010. *In 2010, she co-wrote a song with Brazilian singer
Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people *Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...
, called "Dias Iguais" – from Sandy's solo studio album ''Manuscrito''.


Notable events

*'Record of the Week' on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
*A spot on ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' *An appearance on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
's ''Heaven and Earth with
Gloria Hunniford Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a Northern Irish television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regular appear ...
'' on 18 June 2006 *A cover story in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' magazine (see link below) *An appearance on ''The Charlotte Church Show'' on 29 September 2006 *An appearance on Children in Need 2006 broadcast 18 November 2006 *Pallot featured in ''Asian Woman'' magazine. She spoke of her Indian heritage and of her evolving musical career. *A BRIT Award nomination for Best British Female 2007 *An appearance on ''
Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hoste ...
'' broadcast 31 January 2007 *An appearance on ''
Live from Abbey Road ''Live from Abbey Road'' is a 12-part, one-hour performance series/ documentary that began filming its first season during 2006 at Abbey Road Studios in London. Season 2 was filmed between 2007 and 2008, season 3 was filmed in 2009 and Season ...
'' in March 2007, performing the song "Idaho". The live session was recorded in November 2006 and she shared her episode with The Zutons, Ray LaMontagne and Shawn Colvin.


Personal life

In early 2006, Pallot became engaged to Howard Willing, one of the producers who worked on her second album ''Fires'', but the relationship ended later that year. Pallot met fellow Jersey resident and
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-nominated record producer Andy Chatterley in January 2007. They became engaged within the first half-hour of their first date, and married six weeks later on 14 February 2007. The story was told by Pallot on Janice Long's BBC Radio 2 show on 3 June 2009. In 2009 she completed her degree in English Literature at
Birkbeck, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £10 ...
. The couple reside in London. On 9 September 2010, Pallot gave birth to her first son. Pallot has said that she is a fan of
Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...
FOTP Exclusive Q&A with Nerina Pallot
Flop of the Pops Music Blog
In 2010, she revealed that she was a member of the Labour Party, but expressed disillusionment with the leadership of
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
and accused former Prime Minister
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
of war crimes.


Discography

* '' Dear Frustrated Superstar'' (2001) * '' Fires'' (2005) * '' The Graduate'' (2009) * ''
Year of the Wolf ''Year of the Wolf'' is the fourth album by British singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot. It was released on 13 June 2011. The first single is the track "Put Your Hands Up". Popjustice called the song "an understated yet patently brilliant tune" and ...
'' (2011) * ''
The Sound and the Fury ''The Sound and the Fury'' is a novel by the American author William Faulkner. It employs several narrative styles, including stream of consciousness. Published in 1929, ''The Sound and the Fury'' was Faulkner's fourth novel, and was not immedi ...
'' (2015) * ''Stay Lucky'' (2017) * ''I Don't Know What I'm Doing'' (2022)


References


External links


NerinaPallot.com
— Nerina Pallot official website


Interview
at Wears the Trousers Magazine
Article by Nerina on her internet presence
at Wears the Trousers Magazine
Asian Woman Magazine photo shoot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pallot, Nerina 1974 births English women guitarists English women singer-songwriters English guitarists English people of French descent English people of Indian descent Jersey musicians Labour Party (UK) people Living people People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Singers from London 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers 21st-century British guitarists People educated at the Jersey College for Girls 14th Floor Records artists 21st-century women guitarists