Nicky Holland (born 20 February 1959) is an English musician and singer-songwriter, notable for being a previous backing pianist/keyboardist, vocalist and co-songwriter for the band
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new ...
during the 1980s.
Early life
Nicky Holland began studying piano at a young age; while attending the
Royal Academy of Music, she grew inspired by the makings of
Carole King.
Career
After graduating, Holland proceeded with her studies at the City University in London, England. There, she met classmates
Virginia Astley
Virginia Astley (born 26 September 1959) is an English singer-songwriter most active during the 1980s and 1990s. Her songwriting career started in 1980. Her classical training influenced her as did a desire to be experimental with her music. Alt ...
and
Kate St John
Kate St John (born October 2, 1957) is an English composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Classically trained on oboe, she gained a music degree at City University London. Her first band was The Ravishing Beauties with Virginia A ...
, who she soon formed the band The Ravishing Beauties with in 1981. The trio played in numerous clubs, gaining association with
Julian Cope and The Teardrop Explodes, and later supported them on their tours. They also recorded with
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Skids, and
Siouxsie and the Banshees. In 1982, she went on to support
Fun Boy Three
Fun Boy Three were an English new wave pop Fun Boy Three Allmusic bio/ref> band, active from 1981 to 1983 and formed by singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding after they left the Specials. They released two albums and had seve ...
, becoming their musical director and performing on their album ''
Waiting
Waiting, Waitin, Waitin', or The Waiting may refer to:
Film
* ''Waiting'' (1991 film), a film by Jackie McKimmie
* ''Waiting...'' (film), a 2005 film starring Ryan Reynolds
* ''Waiting'' (2007 film), a film by Zarina Bhimji
* ''Waiting'' (20 ...
''.
Around a year later, she joined
The Escape, a band that opened for Tears for Fears on their tour for their debut album, ''
The Hurting
''The Hurting'' is the debut studio album by British new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 7 March 1983. The album peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week of release, and was certified Gold by the BPI within three weeks o ...
'' in 1983. After The Escape broke up, Nicky Holland was offered the chance to support Tears for Fears on their world tour in 1985, circulating the release of their hit album ''
Songs from the Big Chair
''Songs from the Big Chair'' is the second studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the US, becoming a multi-platinum s ...
''.
During her time with Tears for Fears, she appeared in the music video for "
Head over Heels", and in the band's 1985 documentary ''
Scenes from the Big Chair''. Her piano playing is featured in their cover of "
Sea Song" by
Robert Wyatt, which served as a b-side to the single for "
I Believe (A Soulful Re-recording)". She continued working with the group through 1987, being credited as co-writer for most of the band's third album ''
The Seeds of Love
''The Seeds of Love'' is the third studio album by British pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 September 1989 by Fontana Records. It retained the band's epic sound while incorporating influences ranging from jazz and soul to Beatlesque ...
'' as well as a pianist and backing vocalist.
After moving to New York City in the late 80s, Holland signed on to the record label
Epic in 1990, and spent the next year writing, recording and mixing her debut solo album "Nicky Holland", which was released in 1991. Throughout the 1990s, she supported several musical artists. In 1993, she was a featured pianist in
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
’s album ''
Hat Full Of Stars''. She released her second album "Sense and Sensuality" in 1997.
She resumed her career in 2010. Within the next few years, Holland co-wrote songs with a variety of artists such as
Nick Howard and
Peter Plate
Peter Plate (born 1 July 1967) is a German musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Between 1991 and 2012, he was the keyboardist and occasional vocalist of Rosenstolz, a German pop duo that had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerl ...
. In 2017, she released a compilation album titled "Nobody’s Girl",
which featured songs from her two previous albums.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Nicky
1959 births
Living people
Musicians from Hertfordshire
20th-century English singers
21st-century English singers
English women singer-songwriters
English new wave musicians
English songwriters
English pianists
English keyboardists
Women new wave singers
English rock singers