Nell Smith

On Saturday morning I fancied listening to The Flaming Lips in the shower! Too much info perhaps! I selected Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1 and sang along, thinking that I really should get tickets to go and see them in Edinburgh in May.

Spotify algorithms kicked in and afterwards I heard a song that I had never heard before. It sounded really beautiful; haunting piano over warm chords, a vocal that was dreamy and wracked with emotion, drenched in reverb and just sounding supremely cool. I picked up my phone and discovered this was a singer called Nell Smith who had recorded and released an album, Where The Viaduct Looms, in collaboration with The Flaming Lips. The song was Into My Arms.

Nell Smith & The Flaming Lips - Into My Arms (video)

I immediately sent the song to my sister who also checked it out and sent a one word reply simply saying - gorgeous. I didn't get a chance to listen to the album that day, but returned to it on Sunday morning and decided to find out who Nell Smith was and how this collaboration came about. The album completely passed me by at the time. This kind of thing can happen with The Flaming Lips who are pretty prolific and some of their releases can fly under the radar.

My heart broke as I scrolled down and read 'Nell was a singer songwriter based in Fernie, BC. She was tragically killed in a car accident on October 6 2024.'

I was moved to tears as Nell's music played and I learned that she was only 17.  

FUCK!

I learned that Nell had fallen for The Flaming Lips and ended up meeting the band. Wayne became friends with Nell and her family, eventually suggesting she record some Nick Cave songs, as she had never heard his music, so had no pre-conceived ideas as to how to sing the songs.

Nell Smith & The Flaming Lips - The Ship Song (video)

Where The Viaduct Looms is the result of that recording. It's truly gorgeous and beautifully cool. A  posthumous album will be released next year. 

Please find some further information about Nell from Bella Union and her own website.

What a tragic loss. Thoughts go out to Nell's family and friends.

From Nell's website

Nell was listening to music before she was born.

Born in Leeds, UK, in 2007, Nell listened to music in utero following her mother’s plan which was to give her familiar sounds once she was born to aid her to settle more easily.

As she grew, she was attracted to music and quickly developed an interest in artists including Herman Dune, Arcade Fire, Metronomy, The Flaming Lips, David Bowie, The Fleet Foxes, and MGMT. Attending festivals with her family, Nell experienced live music from the age of 2 and grew more and more interested.

After moving to Canada in 2012, Nell gravitated towards The Flaming Lips and eventually saw them in Spokane in 2017 aged 10, bursting into tears of joy when she saw the tickets. She watched the show from the front row with her brother. 

Fast forward to 2018 and Nell was again at a Lips show, tenacious and determined, she managed to get a letter onto the tour bus and her yelling from the side of the stage prior to the show caught the attention of Wayne Coyne who came and said hi. Following Nell’s prompt, he went on the bus and found the letter.

A duet through the space bubble while Wayne sang David Bowie’s Space Oddity created a connection, and Wayne maintained contact with Nell’s parents as she learned to play guitar.

Nell started performing live at the age of 11, playing alongside established musicians and writing her own songs.

In 2020 Nell recorded an album of Nick Cave cover versions under the tutelage of Wayne Coyne.

Where the Viaduct Looms was released on November 26, 2021 on Bella Union and can be ordered here.

This work will be followed by an album release worked on in conjunction with Penelope Isles with some songs co-written with Shred Kelly.

The album is due out in Spring 2025 and sadly is a posthumous release following Nell’s untimely death in a car accident on October 6 2024.

Nell’s memory will live on through a memorial fund set up in her name. To contribute please purchase her upcoming album, donate to the fund’s Gofundme or purchase something from the shop.

From the Bella Union website

This inspiring and heartwarming story begin when Smith first met Wayne Coyne at the age of 12 at The Flaming Lips’ headline show at the Sled Island Festival, Calgary, in 2018 with her family. Nell had already attended several Lips shows and was a regular at the front of the stage, dressed in a parrot costume and screaming out the band’s songs. Coyne soon began to notice the kid in the parrot suit and sang a David Bowie cover directly to her at the show in Calgary, with Nell singing every word back.

A musical bond formed with Coyne staying in contact with Nell and her father Jude as she learned to play guitar, while their creative relationship began to flourish when she started to write her own songs.

When a planned trip to record with the band in Oklahoma had to be cancelled due to covid Coyne suggested Nell record some Nick Cave songs and email them to Oklahoma to be backed by the band. Coyne chose Nick Cave because Nell didn’t know him and wouldn’t have preconceived notions as to how to sing the songs.