Kate Nash

Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English singer-songwriter and actress.

Kate Marie Nash was born in the London Borough of Harrow in London on 6 July 1987, the second of three daughters born to an English father and Irish mother.

Her father, Steve, is a systems analyst, while her mother, Marie (née Walsh), was a hospice nurse.

She learned to play the piano at an early age.

At 18, she underwent cardiac radiofrequency ablation in order to eliminate tachycardia.

The surgery subsequently inspired her song "Death Proof".

She attended the BRIT School and originally wanted to study acting, but turned to music after she was rejected from several drama colleges and universities, including the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Prior to her musical career, she worked in a River Island shop and a Nando's restaurant.

Nash launched her music career in 2005.

Nash embarked on a musical career in 2005, when she started recording after falling down the stairs and breaking her foot, which left her homebound.

She started performing live, holding her first shows in pubs, at open mic nights, and an anti-folk festival in Brighton.

After several gigs, she uploaded her music to MySpace where she secured a manager and found exposure thanks to support from Lily Allen.

Her 2007 single "Foundations" became a hit and brought her to public attention in the UK.

Her debut album, Made of Bricks, peaked at No. 1 in the UK and was a moderate international success.

Her debut single, featuring songs "Caroline's a Victim" and "Birds", was recorded and produced in Iceland by Valgeir Sigurðsson, and released through Moshi Moshi Records in February 2007.

The release was limited to 2,000 copies and available only on 7-inch vinyl.

Due to demand, another 1,000 copies were made and these also sold out.

CD promo copies were produced for distribution to the press and DJs and are occasionally available for sale.

The music video for "Caroline's a Victim" was directed by Kinga Burza and received airplay on MTV2.

The song was then included on the CD Moshi Moshi Singles Compilation and the single's B-side, "Birds", later featured on Nash's debut album.

Both tracks have also been released on digital music platforms.

In April 2007, Nash was signed to the Polydor offshoot Fiction Records and the following month made her official TV performance debut on Later... with Jools Holland.

Her second single, "Foundations", which she co-wrote with producer Paul Epworth, was released by Fiction on 18 June 2007, and reached number two in the official UK Singles Chart.

Following this success, the label announced plans to bring forward the release of Nash's debut album Made of Bricks to 6 August 2007.

Produced by Paul Epworth, the album included many of the tracks she had been performing during her two nationwide tours.

Made of Bricks was leaked to filesharing networks a few days before its official commercial release and subsequently received mixed reviews; The Independent described it as being in "pole position for worst album of the year", while a BBC review called it "an album of surprising verve and variety".

It proved, however, to be commercially successful when it entered and peaked on the UK Albums Chart at number 1, and stayed in the chart for over forty consecutive weeks.

During mid-2007, Nash performed at numerous festivals, including the Wireless Festival, Bestival, Electric Gardens, Glastonbury, Latitude, Reading and Leeds, Oxegen and T in the Park.

Throughout late 2007 and early 2008, she released three more singles from Made of Bricks.

"Mouthwash" and "Pumpkin Soup" both made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart.

Although her fifth single "Merry Happy" did not chart well in the UK, the song enjoyed minor success in other countries, including the United States and Canada.

Nash subsequently won the award for Best British Female Artist at the 2008 Brit Awards.

Made of Bricks peaked at number 36 on the US Billboard 200 chart in January 2008.

It would later be certified Platinum in the UK and Gold in Germany.

Her second studio album, My Best Friend Is You, was released in 2010 and reached the top 10 in the UK and Germany.

Aside from music, Nash has appeared in films such as the drama Greetings from Tim Buckley (2012), the comedy Powder Room (2013), and the comedy-drama Syrup (2013).

After her departure from a major label, Nash self-released her third studio album, Girl Talk, in 2013, but it failed to match the commercial success of her previous records.

She played Rhonda "Britannica" Richardson in the Netflix comedy-drama series GLOW (2017–2019).

She is also a feminist activist who campaigns against gender inequality.

Her fourth and most recent studio album, Yesterday Was Forever, was also released independently in 2018, funded by her fans via a Kickstarter campaign.