Kate Nash

Kate Nash is a singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist from Harrow, in North London, United Kingdom. She is associated with alternative rock, garage punk, indie rock, pop and singer-songwriter music, and releases music through Kate Nash Publishing. She is also described with alt-pop and indie pop tags.

Early life and education

Nash grows up in Harrow and begins playing piano in childhood. She attends St. John Fisher school and then St. Joan of Arc School in Rickmansworth. She later studies at the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. She writes songs for her GCSE in Music while at school.

Career beginnings

She first aims for an acting career and auditions for Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2005, but is rejected. After breaking her foot in a fall during recovery, she spends time writing songs, finishing older material and booking her own gig at a local bar. That experience leads her to pursue music instead of acting. Her early live shows include cover versions, and after several gigs she uploads recordings to MySpace, where she attracts support from users, finds a manager and begins looking for producers.

Recording career

Nash's debut release is a double A-side single on Moshi Moshi in February 2007. It is limited to 1,000 copies and issued only on 7-inch vinyl. One side, "Caroline's a Victim", is accompanied by a video directed by Kinga Burza and receives airplay on MTV2. In April 2007 she signs to Fiction Records, the Polydor offshoot. Her next single, "Foundations", is co-written with producer Paul Epworth and reaches number two on the UK Singles Chart. Her debut album, Made of Bricks, is produced by Paul Epworth, draws on songs from her nationwide tours, leaks before its commercial release, receives mixed reviews, and reaches number one in the UK charts.

Live work and collaborations

During 2007 she performs at a wide range of festivals, including Wireless Festival, Bestival, the Electric Gardens, Glastonbury, Latitude, Reading and Leeds, Oxegen and T in the Park. She also makes her official television performance debut on Later with Jools Holland. Nash features on Kano's album London Town on the track "Me & My Microphone", and appears on Lethal Bizzle's Back To Bizznizz on "Look What You've Done". She also writes a song called "Cat Song" in honour of The Supremes and records a duet cover of The Shangri-Las' "Give Storey A Great Big Kiss" with Billy Bragg.

Awards

In 2008 she receives a BRIT Award for Best Female Artist.

Personal life

She adopts a plant-based, vegan lifestyle in 2017.