Nadine Shah

Delivered using an intense brand of art pop/rock, singer and songwriter Nadine Shah possesses a voice and, more importantly, a mystique that has often been described as a blend of PJ Harvey and Nick Cave. She debuted her brooding, atmospheric mix of midnight loner pop and torchy, jazz-kissed indie rock on a pair of EPs in 2012, followed by the full-length Love Your Dum and Mad in 2013. Her ambitious third album, 2017's Holiday Destination, was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. Released in 2024, a more groove-forward fifth album, Filthy Underneath, found her processing unprecedented turmoil with a resilient tone. Born of Pakistani and Norwegian parentage in Whitburn, South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, Nadine Petra Katarina Shah was inspired by jazz and pop as a youth, as well by the religious Sufi songs that her father brought into the house. She issued a series of evocative singles and a pair of EPs before releasing her debut long-player, 2013's Love Your Dum and Mad, produced by Ben Hillier (Blur, the Horrors, Depeche Mode). Hillier returned for 2015's Fast Food, an album that explored the passionate and dark sides of relationships. On her third studio album, 2017's Holiday Destination, Shah delved into her identity and heritage alongside the rise of global nationalism. The LP earned a Mercury Prize nomination in 2018 and led to interest from major labels. The singer's fourth set, Kitchen Sink, arrived in June 2020 on Infectious Music/BMG. Produced again by Hillier, the album continued her trademark social commentary but with crisp arrangements that, as implied by the title, traversed an arsenal of styles. Hillier was back for her next album as well, which found Shah processing an unprecedented period of turbulence. She did so with a defiant, conquering spirit on February 2024's Filthy Underneath. It marked her debut on the newly christened regional subsidiary EMI North. ~ James Christopher Monger & Marcy Donelson