Nicky Phillips

Originally from the northwest of London, singer-songwriter Nicky Phillips ventured to the north, moving to Yorkshire four years ago. She performed regularly around the many venues in Yorkshire and she can still be spotted at the acoustic hotspots in Leeds.

Now back in the south, Nicky is making her mark on the London unsigned scene with regular appearances at open mic nights and performances in Central London. She has been described as ‘a folk siren who specialises in intensely personal, confessional songwriting’* and her songs tell of the usual tales of love and heartbreak, alongside a selection of songs that explore more unusual topics such as time, wine and the Piccadilly Line.

Nicky found her passion for music at a very young age, through listening to artists such as Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, and through singing. More recent influences include Michelle Branch and folk singer-songwriter Laura Marling. In her own words, she says that as a young girl, ‘it was the only thing I felt truly good at and it was the only thing that filled my mind. I fell in love with it and have never looked back. My Dad always questioned why it was that I could remember countless lyrics and melodies but couldn’t remember my times tables’. It was at the age of fourteen that she remembers her mother’s classical guitar finding its way from the attic and into her hands, from that day on Nicky has used guitars to accompany her voice and gather her experiences into songs.

Over the summer of 2009 she made her first appearance on the festival circuit with performances at the Huddstock, Beeston and Holbeck Festivals and from then on has been even more in demand. Among these many gigs a highlight has been a slot supporting Chris Helme, former frontman of ‘The Seahorses’, at Leeds’ Malmaison Hotel.

In September she was featured on the Jack Wills Unsigned website with a video recorded in the Jack Wills flagship store in London. The video includes an interview and live performance of ‘Sweet Rosé’. Following this she was chosen for the Unsigned Spotlight at undercontrol.org.uk in November and was subsequently included on their ‘Under Control Unsigned Best of 2009 Compilation’.

At the end of 2009 Nicky was invited on BBC Radio Yorkshire, where she was interviewed and performed some of her songs. Since then she has had a number of further radio inteviews and in 2009 she appeared on the ‘Cool Acoustics Vol.2 - Acoustic Selection Box' DVD, reviewed by Headingley Life Magazine*.

More recently Nicky has been playing at the many renowned venues in London such as The Camden Head, The Regal Room, The Troubadour, The Bedford, The Enterprise and she appeared at the end of January 2011 at The Monarch, Camden, supporting Kate Nash’s side project, The Receeders.

Nicky Phillips' new EP is due for release in early 2012.