Nadine Shah is from Whitburn, near Sunderland in the north-east of England. Daughter of a Pakistani father and an English mother of Norwegian descent. She left for London at 17 to sing jazz before finding her own darker, drum-driven art-rock voice. Critics routinely reach for PJ Harvey and Siouxsie Sioux to describe the theatrical, low-register power of her singing. 'Fool' is off Fast Food (2015), her second album with producer Ben Hillier, which gave her her first UK chart entry. The follow-up, Holiday Destination (2017), earned a 2018 Mercury Prize nomination. She's become an outspoken advocate for musicians' welfare and mental health, and 2024's Filthy Underneath drew some of the best reviews of her career. She's based in Newcastle.
From the notes for EKHO Sonic Chill #4 · fact-checked Oct 4, 2026.
The records
Where I played them
