Anika Nilles facts for kids

Anika Nilles is a talented drummer, composer, and music teacher from Germany. She became well-known through her YouTube videos in the early 2010s. Anika has released two full music albums with her band, Nevell: Pikalar in 2017 and For a Colorful Soul in 2020.

Early Life and Education

Anika Nilles was born into a family of drummers. She started playing the drums when she was just six years old. Her father, who was also a drummer, taught her the first basic drum beats.

After finishing school, Anika first worked in social education. However, she soon decided to follow her passion for drumming full-time. She went on to earn a degree in popular music from the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg in Mannheim, Germany.

Music Career

Anika Nilles first shared her own music compositions online. She posted "Wild Boy" in 2013 and "Alter Ego" in 2014. Her music videos often show her playing the drums along with her recorded songs. She has worked with producer and guitarist Joachim Schneiss on these videos.

After gaining attention online, Anika started to get work and become famous outside of Germany. In 2015, she went on a tour across Europe, the United States, and China.

Album Releases

In 2017, Anika released her first album, called Pikalar. This album has 10 instrumental songs, meaning they don't have singing. Anika was featured on the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine in June 2017 to promote her album. She explained that she made up the word "pikalar" to describe things in life that are hard to put into words.

Her second full album, "For A Colorful Soul," came out in 2020. This album also featured her band, Nevell. It was very popular, reaching number 3 on the US-iTunes-Top40-Jazzcharts and also number 3 in Germany.

Teaching and Touring

Anika Nilles also teaches music. She works at Nexus ICA in the UK, DRUMEO in Canada, and Popakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Since 2021, she has been in charge of the drums department at Popakademie Baden-Württemberg. In 2022, Anika joined the famous musician Jeff Beck's band for his European tour.

Musical Influences

Anika Nilles looks up to many great musicians. A big influence for her is Jeff Porcaro, who was a drummer for the band Toto. Other musicians who have inspired her include Carter Beauford, Jojo Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Joe Satriani, Dave Matthews Band, Joss Stone, Stanton Moore, and Prince.

Equipment

Anika Nilles uses specific drum equipment. She supports Meinl Cymbals, Tama Drums, and Evans Drumheads. Meinl even made a special 18-inch cymbal called "Artist Concept Model Deep Hats" that Anika helped design. She also uses Promark drumsticks.

Drumming Style

Anika Nilles is known for her unique drumming style. She often uses different groups of notes, like quintuplets (five notes in the time of four) and sextuplets (six notes in the time of four). She plays these over a regular four-four time beat.

Awards and Recognition

Anika Nilles has won several awards for her drumming skills:

Personal Life

Anika Nilles lives in Mannheim, Germany.

Discography

• "Chary Life" (Sakurai Records, single, 2014)
• "Synergy" (Sakurai Records, single, 2015)
• Pikalar (Sakurai Records, full-length, 2017)
• For a Colorful Soul (Sakurai Records, full-length, 2020)
• "Florida" (Sakurai Records, single, 2021)
• Opuntia (Sakurai Records, EP, April 29, 2022)