Nick Heyward | |
|---|---|
 Heyward atLet's Rock Bristol, June 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicholas Heyward |
| Born | (1961-05-20)20 May 1961 (age 63) Beckenham, Kent, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Haircut One Hundred |
| Formerly of | Boogie Box High |
| Website | nickheyward |
Nicholas Heyward (born 20 May 1961) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist.[1] He came to international attention in the early 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter forHaircut One Hundred. He and the band parted ways after their first album, after which he continued as a solo artist.
Born inBeckenham,[2] Heyward spent his early years in and around south London. He attendedKelsey Park School for Boys in Beckenham where he studied art and photography. He left school at 16 to work as a commercial artist.[3]
Heyward and school friendsGraham Jones andLes Nemes,[4] the core ofHaircut One Hundred, started bands together as far back as 1977. They were first known as Rugby, then the Boat Party, Captain Pennyworth and Moving England, before settling on Haircut One Hundred.[5] The band signed withArista Records in 1981 and had four UK top 10 singles between 1981 and 1982.[6] Their debut album,Pelican West (1982), written by Heyward, reached No. 2. It was certified platinum[7] by theBritish Phonographic Industry.
Work on the band's second album commenced in October 1982 but, in January 1983, a statement was issued confirming that Heyward had left the band,[1] and percussionist Marc Fox had taken over on vocals. At the time of the announcement, Heyward toldSmash Hits magazine that he had been contemplating going solo for a while and had already recorded some tracks with session musicians.[8] However, many years later, Heyward stated that he had been struggling with stress and depression at the time after a year of constant work and pressure which led to him being, in effect, sacked by the other members of the band.[9][10]
Over the years, the band has reformed several times, most recently in May 2023. Heyward described a "deep love" for the band and remarked that "the door is always open".[11] In an interview withLorraine, he said he was "ever hopeful" that the band would one day play a reunion show at theRoundhouse wherePelican West was recorded.[12]
Heyward's solo career began in March 1983 with the single "Whistle Down the Wind",[1] which reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.[13] Two further top 20 hits followed: "Take That Situation" (No. 11)[1] and "Blue Hat for a Blue Day" (No. 14).[13] His debut solo album,North of a Miracle, was released in October 1983 and peaked at No. 10 in the UK.[1] The successive non-album singles, "Love All Day" and "Warning Sign" both went top 40 although a subsequent single "Laura" failed to do so.[13]
Postcards from Home, Heyward's second solo album, was released in 1986,[1] and featured the singles "Over the Weekend" and "Goodbye Yesterday".[13] By 1988, he had moved toWarner Bros. Records and released his third album,I Love You Avenue, which included the single "You're My World".
Heyward's 1993 album,From Monday to Sunday, onEpic Records, featured a more classic rock style,[14] and brought him his first hits of the 1990s. The first single, "Kite", reached No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart[13] and No. 4 onBillboard'sHot Modern Rock Tracks chart.[15]
In 1995, Heyward released his secondEpic Records album,Tangled, providing him with the UK top 40 single "Rollerblade".[13]
In 1998,Creation Records releasedThe Apple Bed,[16] Heyward's most recent major label release. It featured three singles, "Today", "The Man You Used to Be" and "Stars in Her Eyes".[17]
Since 1998, Heyward has released two independent albums:Open Sesame Seed (2001), a collaboration with British actor/singerGreg Ellis, and featuring Ellis reading Heyward's poetry to the accompaniment of Heyward's musical backing; andThe Mermaid and the Lighthouse Keeper (2006), an album of songs recorded with singer/actress India Dupre.[18]
In November 2013, Heyward announced on his website that he was in the process of recording a new album with his son, Oliver.[19] A preview of the album was made available on the site in October 2015.[20] A PledgeMusic campaign to support the album was announced on Heyward's website, on 4 April 2017[21] and the album title,Woodland Echoes, was released the following day.[22]
Heyward married Glaswegian Marion Killen in 1987. They had two children, Oliver and Katie, before divorcing in 2000.[23] In 1998, he had aspiritual awakening[24] that he described as a feeling of complete contentment and a deep connection with nature.
Heyward lives inStoke Row, South Oxfordshire,[25] and in February 2016 announced his engagement to Sara, his American girlfriend.[26]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] | US [15] | SWE [27] | NZ [28] | |||
| Pelican West (with Haircut One Hundred) | 2 | 31 | 29 | 12 |
| |
| North of a Miracle |
| 10 | 178 | — | — |
|
| Postcards from Home | — | — | — | — | ||
| I Love You Avenue |
| — | — | — | — | |
| From Monday to Sunday |
| — | — | — | — | |
| Tangled |
| 93 | — | — | — | |
| The Apple Bed |
| — | — | — | — | |
| Open Sesame Seed |
| — | — | — | — | |
| The Mermaid and the Lighthouse Keeper |
| — | — | — | — | |
| Woodland Echoes |
| 89 | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] | US Hot 100 [15] | US AC [15] | US Alt [15] | US Dance [15] | US Rock [15] | NZ [28] | GER [30] | |||||
| "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" (with Haircut One Hundred) | 1981 | 4 | — | — | — | 41 | 50[31] | 32 | — |
| Pelican West | |
| "Love Plus One" (with Haircut One Hundred) | 1982 | 3 | 37 | — | 18 | 8 | 18 | 22 | — |
| ||
| "Fantastic Day" (with Haircut One Hundred) | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | — | ||||
| "Nobody's Fool" (with Haircut One Hundred) | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pelican West Plus | |||
| "Whistle Down the Wind" | 1983 | 13 | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | North of a Miracle | ||
| "Take That Situation" | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Blue Hat for a Blue Day" | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "On a Sunday" | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Love All Day" | 1984 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "My Pure Lady"(Japan only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Warning Sign" | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Laura" | 1985 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Over the Weekend" | 1986 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Postcards from Home | ||
| "Goodbye Yesterday" | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "You're My World" | 1988 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | I Love You Avenue | ||
| "Tell Me Why" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Kite" | 1993 | 44 | 107 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | From Monday to Sunday | ||
| "He Doesn't Love You Like I Do" | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 55 | ||||
| "The World" | 1995 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Tangled | ||
| "Rollerblade" | 1996 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Today" | 1997 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Apple Bed | ||
| "The Man You Used to Be" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Stars in Her Eyes" | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Baby Blue Sky" / "Mountaintop" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Woodland Echoes | ||
| "Perfect Sunday Sun" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "The Stars" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "The Unloving Plum" (with Haircut One Hundred) | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
