Nina Nesbitt
- Pop
- indie folk
- indie rock
- R&B
- electropop
- hip hop
- Singer
- songwriter
- Vocals
- guitar
- keyboards
- Universal[2]
- Island[3]
- Cooking Vinyl[4][non-primary source needed]
Nina Nesbitt (born 11 July 1994) is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, and No. 11 on the Scottish Singles Chart.[5]
Nesbitt’s first extended play (EP) in 2011 was called Live Take and didn’t garner much attention, but after a chance meeting with Ed Sheeran at a radio gig, her second EP, The Apple Tree, was released in April 2012 and peaked at No. 6 on the iTunes download charts after receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1,[6] and also peaked at the top of the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.[7] The Way in the World EP and single were released on 23 July 2013, as a follow-up to "Stay Out". In August 2013, she recorded a cover version of Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop", for a new John Lewis advertising campaign, subsequently charting at number 61. Nesbitt released her debut studio album, Peroxide, on 17 February 2014 which debuted at No. 1 in her native Scotland[8]
As a songwriter, she has written for other artists including Jessie Ware, Olivia Holt, Don Diablo and the Shires. In February 2019, Nesbitt released her second studio album, The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change. In September 2022, she released her third studio album Älskar.
Early life
Nesbitt was born on 11 July 1994[9] in Livingston,[10] and attended the small village school in Bellsquarry, Livingston. At 12, she moved to Balerno, a suburb of Edinburgh, and attended Balerno Community High School. Nina admitted being a bully in high school, and has since apologised for how her then actions may have affected those she bullied. Neither of her parents are musical - her father, Mike, worked in the electronics industry and her mother Caty, who is originally from Sweden, was a childcare worker. Mike and Caty divorced in 2023 and are now estranged. She references their relationship in her song Pages.[11]
Nesbitt plays the guitar, piano and flute. She began playing the guitar at the age of fifteen. After hearing Taylor Swift's album Fearless (2008), she uploaded her first cover to YouTube. The site's positive feedback inspired her to continue writing and recording songs in her bedroom, and uploading the videos to her YouTube channel.[12][13] As a child, she competed in regional and national gymnastic competitions for both Pentland Rhythmic Gymnastics Club and Scotland. She was also part of the Scottish team training for the Commonwealth Games.[14]
Nina has a pet Pomeranian dog called Timmy. She used to have a cat named Bob Marley, but passed him onto her mum when she realised she was no longer able to look after him.[citation needed]
Career
2011–2012: Early career
Nesbitt met musician Ed Sheeran before a radio gig he was scheduled to perform in Edinburgh. After asking him for advice for aspiring singer-songwriters, and playing him a song on his guitar, she was invited to support him on his European tour. She was also invited to support Example after he heard her cover of his song "Stay Awake".[1][7] She also appeared in the music video for Sheeran's single "Drunk".[15]
2012–2013: The Apple Tree, Boy, Stay Out and Way in the World
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/NINA_NESBITT_FIB_2014.jpg/200px-NINA_NESBITT_FIB_2014.jpg)
Her second EP, The Apple Tree, was released in April 2012 via AWAL and reached No. 6 on the iTunes download charts after receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1,[6] and also reached No. 1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.[7] On 9 October 2012, Nesbitt embarked on her second UK headline tour, to support the release of her debut single, "Boy", under new label, Island Records. The tour included support from singer-songwriter Josh Kumra and singer-songwriter Billy Lockett. The tour commenced on 9 October 2012 at Òran Mór, Glasgow, Scotland and finished on 18 October 2012 at Dingwalls, London, England.[16] Her third EP, Stay Out, was released on 8 April 2013; its title track of the same name entered the charts at No. 21 in April 2013. Her next EP, Way in the World, was released on 21 July 2013. The title track was released as a single, and the music video released on 12 June 2013. Nesbitt's next single was a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, "Don't Stop", and is used in an advert for the department store John Lewis. On 6 September 2013, Nesbitt sang "Flower of Scotland" at Hampden Park before Scotland played Belgium in a Group A World Cup Qualifier.
2013–2014: Peroxide
On 25 November 2013, Nesbitt announced on her Twitter and Facebook pages that her debut studio album, Peroxide, would be released on 17 February 2014 in the United Kingdom. Nesbitt did an album signing tour around the UK, starting in Edinburgh on the day the album was released. Peroxide entered the UK Album Charts at number 1 in Scotland and 11 in the rest of the UK. The lead single from the album, "Selfies" was released on 9 February 2014. She released her fifth EP, Nina Nesbitt, exclusively in the US on 1 April 2014.
2016–2017: Modern Love EP and Life in Colour
In 2016, Nesbitt announced the release of her newest EP, Modern Love, featuring her "radical new look."[3] She also announced a three-date UK Tour, that took place from 26 to 28 January.[17] Following its World Exclusive on Radio 1, her single "Chewing Gum" became available for download on Apple Music and Spotify on 10 January.[17] On 27 April, Nesbitt performed at the Young Scot Awards at Edinburgh's International Conference Centre.[18] In June, she started the project Songs I Wrote for You, where she asked her fans to send her their personal love stories and she would write a song about it. In October 2016, she released a five-track EP titled Life in Colour with the songs of the project under her own label.
2016–2019: The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Louder_Together_03_24_2018_-39_%2839206738880%29.jpg/220px-Louder_Together_03_24_2018_-39_%2839206738880%29.jpg)
In May 2016, Nesbitt disclosed that she had left her record label and was now an independent artist.[19][non-primary source needed] In November 2016, Nesbitt signed a recording contract with indie label Cooking Vinyl.[4] On 2 July 2017, she served as a supporting act for Justin Bieber during British Summer Time in Hyde Park, London. She released a new single, "The Moments I'm Missing", on 14 July 2017.[20] On 8 September 2017 she released her next single, "The Best You Had", which was made Greg James' 'Tune of the Week' on Radio 1[21] and added to the Radio 1 playlist. Taylor Swift later added "The Best You Had" to her 'Favourite Songs' playlist on Apple Music and Spotify, while actress Chloë Grace Moretz tweeted about the song to her followers.[22] Nesbitt then released "Somebody Special" as the third single from her second album.
In October 2017, she played two intimate shows in New York City and Los Angeles.[23] In December 2017, Nesbitt won the 'Evolution Award' at the SSE Scottish Music Awards.[24]
Between March and April 2018, Nesbitt toured the United States with Jake Bugg.[25] She also revealed new track "Psychopath" for the launch of Spotify's 'Louder Together', a program bringing artists together to collaborate on an original Spotify Singles song in the spirit of community, empowerment and inspiration.[26]
The titular track "The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change" was released as a promotional single in May. Nesbitt has said that it is "like a self-help song and she hopes that people can listen to it in times of need and be reminded that things are constantly changing". The song was also featured in an episode of Life Sentence, an American television series.[27]
In summer 2018, Nesbitt played twelve festivals in the UK, and also performed at SXSW, Midem and The Great Escape.[28] She later sold out three consecutive London shows (at Heaven, The Islington and Camden Assembly), and supported acts such as James Arthur, Jesse McCartney, MAX and Lewis Capaldi on tours.
On 10 August 2018, Nesbitt released her fourth single from the album, "Loyal to Me", which was produced by Fraser T. Smith.[29] In October 2018, Nesbitt announced that her second album, The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change will be released on 1 February 2019 through Cooking Vinyl.[30]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Nina_Nesbitt_at_The_Peppermint_Club_04.jpg/220px-Nina_Nesbitt_at_The_Peppermint_Club_04.jpg)
The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change was released on 1 February 2019, to a positive critic reaction. The Independent awarded the record four stars[31] and The Times gave it three,[32] whilst CelebMix awarded the album five stars saying, "February is far too early to talk about albums of the year. But, really, is it going to get better than this?".[33] On the same day, Nesbitt also released a new music video for her fifth single from the album, titled "Is It Really Me You're Missing?". Nesbitt then embarked on a headlining tour to support The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change, with the North American and UK legs spanning from February to April. She also toured in Australia and New Zealand from 28 May to 1 June.
In March 2019, it was announced that Nesbitt would be supporting Jess Glynne on the American leg of the Always in Between Tour.[34]
2020–present: Älskar
Leading up to the release of her third studio album, Älskar, on 2 September 2022, Nesbitt released several singles including "Summer Fling" and "Life's a Bitch" (which are featured as bonus tracks on the deluxe version of the album).[35]
Further songs released prior to the albums official release that are included on the standard edition of the album include: "When You Lose Someone", "Dinner Table", "Pressure Makes Diamonds", "No Time (For My Life to Suck)", and "Colours of You".[36]
Beginning in November 2022, Nesbitt will tour her album throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.[37]
Philanthropy
Nesbitt was part of the mothers2mothers fund raising dinner, raising half a million pounds for the charity. She also attended the Women in the World Summit, discussing the impact of body image in the Internet era.[38]
She has worked with brands such as Calvin Klein and American Eagle and was chosen to attend the Women in the World Summit alongside Nicole Kidman and Cara Delevingne.[39]
Personal life
Nesbitt was in a relationship with singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and she appeared in his music video for "Drunk" in 2012.[40] She wrote most of her album Peroxide (2014) about Sheeran, while she was the subject of Sheeran's songs "Nina", “Friends” and "Photograph".[40]
In 2016, Nesbitt said that two people were stalking her.[41]
Nina Nesbitt has been in a relationship with Mike Duce from Lower than Atlantis since 2017.[citation needed]
Discography
- Peroxide (2014)
- The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change (2019)
- Älskar (2022)
- Mountain Music (2024)
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Scottish Music Awards | Herself | Best Emerging Artist | Won | [42] |
2017 | Evolution Award | Won | [43] | ||
2021 | Women in Music Award | Won | [44] | ||
2024 | Electronic Dance Music Awards | Vocalist Of The Year | Nominated | [45] | |
Luv Me A Little (shared with Illenium) [BONNIE X CLYDE Remix] | Best Down Tempo Turned Up | Won |
References
- ^ a b Lester, Paul (16 April 2012). "New Band of the Day – Nina Nesbitt (No 1,250)". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ Lyons, Beverley (4 July 2012). "Nina Nesbitt insists on an apple a day before she takes to T in the Park stage". Daily Record. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Scots singer Nina Nesbitt reveals radical new look after two years out of the spotlight". Daily Records. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Nina Nesbitt – Twitter". 22 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt". Official Charts. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Track – 04 May 2012". Record of the Day. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ a b c "17-year-old Edinburgh singer Nina Nesbitt rides high in charts". Edinburgh Evening News. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
- ^ @ninanesbitt (10 July 2012). "Today is my last day of being 17, then I can't use 'Oh but I'm just a child' excuse anymore' :(" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt: The Scottish singer-songwriter on taking on America, and winning". Ludlow Advertiser. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt: Pages".
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt will convince you break-ups are actually dope". Galore Mag. 21 November 2017.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt made £100k before debut album". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt is the most exciting pop artist to release music this year". 21 September 2017.
- ^ "Using our Eds: Scots singer Nina Nesbitt hints at duet with boyfriend Sheeran". Daily Record. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt BOY UK Tour". Clixie. 2 August 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ a b Law, Tarynn (11 January 2016). "Nina Nesbitt announces new EP Modern Love, streams single 'Chewing Gum'". Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt can't wait to perform at our Young Scot Awards in Edinburgh". Daily Record. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt – Twitter". 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ "The Moments I'm Missing". Ninanesbittmusic.com.
- ^ "Want some free merch?". Facebook. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt shares brand new track 'Somebody Special'". Cooking Vinyl. 9 January 2018. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Scottish Songwriter Nina Nesbitt Announces US Tour Dates". Broadway World.
- ^ "Emeli Sande and Lewis Capaldi big winners at SSE Scottish Music Awards". Glasgow Live. 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt To Tour With Jake Bugg In The States". Broadway World.
- ^ "Sasha Sloan, Nina Nesbitt and Charlotte Lawrence launch first multi-artist Spotify Single". Music Week.
- ^ "Songs for Screens: Hear Nina Nesbitt's New Single, Appearing on CW's 'Life Sentence'". Variety. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt – A Fiery Performance At The Great Escape". Essentially Pop. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Pre-Save Loyal To Me On Spotify". Ninanesbittmusic.com. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ Nesbitt, Nina (30 October 2018). "THE SUN WILL COME UP THE SEASONS WILL CHANGE the new album. february 1st". Twitter. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Album reviews: Nina Nesbitt – The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change, and Highasakite – Uranium Heart". independent.co.uk. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will. "Nina Nesbitt: The Sun Will Come Up, Seasons Will Change review". thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Nina Nesbitt's 'The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change'". celebmix.com. February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt to perform at concert". Kent Online. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ "Älskar Deluxe CD Signed (includes 4 Bonus Tracks)". Nina Nesbitt Official Store. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ "Älskar Exclusive Clear Vinyl". Nina Nesbitt Official Store. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ "Nina Nesbitt on Twitter". Nina Nesbitt on Twitter. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ "Selfies: The high cost of low confidence". The New York Times. 7 October 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Scots singer Nina Nesbitt: I've learned to love my body despite abuse from trolls". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Nina Nesbitt: Ed Sheeran wrote a song about our love life and I'm giving him a miss at T in the Park". Daily Record. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ "Nina Stalking Trouble". Edinburghnews.scotsman.com.
- ^ "Specsavers Scottish Music Awards". Nordoff and Robbins. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Russell, Jennifer (3 December 2017). "Emeli Sande and Lewis Capaldi big winners at SSE Scottish Music Awards". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Lennon, Holly (23 October 2021). "Nina Nesbitt on TikTok fame, award nominations, and her first gig since lockdown". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Staff, EDM com (19 February 2024). "Fan Voting for the 2024 Electronic Dance Music Awards is Now Open". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
External links
- Official website
- Nina Nesbitt at AllMusic
- Nina Nesbitt discography at Discogs
- Nina Nesbitt at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- "Don't Stop"
- "Selfies"
- "Somebody Special"
- "Loyal to Me"
- "Toxic"
- "Together Forever"
- "Miss You 2"
- "Brand New Day"