COVER FEATURE
NADINE SHAH
ALI WELFORD TALKS TO THE WHITBURN-HAILING MUSICIAN ABOUT CHANGING ATTITUDES AND BUCKING THE TREND ON HER NEW ALBUM If anybody doubts the pitfalls facing professional musicians in the age of COVID-19, one need simply highlight the plight of Nadine Shah. With new album Kitchen Sink imminent, the Whitburn native ought to be enjoying a golden summer; a further rise of her star following the huge acclaim and Mercury nomination afforded to its predecessor, 2017’s superb Holiday Destination. Instead, the campaign thus far has been limited to phone interviews and Zoom calls from her boyfriend’s home in Ramsgate. With her entire touring schedule wiped out, the realities of a global pandemic have already bitten. “Playing live is my bread and butter, but because I’ve
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lost all my shows I’ve had to leave London – I couldn’t afford it any more!” she reveals. “It’s really upsetting,” she continues, choosing to focus on the record. “I’ve worked really hard on this album, and I took my time with it as well. After the Mercury nomination there was a lot of pressure to put something out soon afterwards, but I didn’t want to do that. To date this has been my favourite album to make. Albums are like babies; you’re not allowed to like one more than the others, but everybody does secretly. So many things were going to happen off the back of this album – a great slot at Glastonbury, some really fun
