Nellee Hooper facts for kids

Paul Andrew "Nellee" Hooper (born 15 March 1963) is a famous British music producer, remixer, and songwriter. He is known for helping create hit songs for some of the world's biggest music stars. A music producer helps artists create the sound for their songs and albums, similar to how a director guides a movie.

Hooper has worked with major artists like U2, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, and The Smashing Pumpkins. His work has earned him many awards, including seven Grammy Awards. He also helped create the music for the popular 1996 movie Romeo + Juliet.

Early Life and Career

Nellee Hooper was born in Bristol, England. His music journey began in the early 1980s. He was a member of a band called Maximum Joy, where he played percussion and sang backup vocals.

Later, he became a DJ with a group called The Wild Bunch. This group was a "sound system," which means they played music for big crowds and parties. The Wild Bunch was very influential and later became the famous electronic group Massive Attack.

Rise to Fame as a Producer

Hooper became a highly sought-after producer in the late 1980s and 1990s. He helped shape the sound of many classic albums.

Major Successes

Between 1989 and 1992, Hooper produced several groundbreaking albums:

• Soul II Soul - He produced their album Club Classics Vol. I, which became a huge hit.
• Sinéad O'Connor - He worked on her powerful album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.
• Björk - He produced her first solo album, Debut, which was a worldwide success.
• Massive Attack - He returned to work with his old friends on their album Protection.

In 1995, the BRIT Awards named him Best Producer for his work on albums by Massive Attack, Björk, and Madonna's Bedtime Stories.

Creating Movie Music

In 1996, Hooper took on a new challenge: creating music for a movie. He worked with composers Craig Armstrong and Marius de Vries on the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's film Romeo + Juliet.

The soundtrack was a huge success. It mixed exciting orchestra and choir music with modern hip-hop and electronic sounds. For this work, Hooper won a BAFTA award, which is a major British award for film and television.

Working with Music Legends

Throughout the 2000s, Hooper continued to work with top artists from around the world.

• He produced songs for No Doubt's album Rock Steady, which earned him a Grammy nomination.
• He worked with Gwen Stefani on her solo albums.
• He helped produce U2's album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
• He also produced songs for stars like Tina Turner ("GoldenEye") and the group All Saints ("Under the Bridge").

Awards and Recognition

Nellee Hooper's work has won some of the highest awards in music.

Grammy Award Wins

• Soul II Soul (1989): The album Club Classics Vol. One won two Grammys. The song "Back to Life" was one of the winners.
• Sinéad O'Connor (1991): Her album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.
• The Smashing Pumpkins (1997): The song "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" from the Batman & Robin soundtrack won for Best Hard Rock Performance.
• U2 (2006): The album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb won Album of the Year. The single "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" also won two Grammys.

Selected Production Credits

Here is a small list of some of the famous songs and artists Nellee Hooper has worked with:

• All Saints - "Under the Bridge"
• Björk - "It's Oh So Quiet", "Human Behaviour", "Army of Me"
• Gwen Stefani - "What You Waiting For?", "Luxurious"
• Madonna - "Bedtime Story", "I Want You"
• No Doubt - "Hella Good", "It's My Life"
• Sinéad O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U"
• Soul II Soul - "Keep on Movin'", "Back to Life"
• The Smashing Pumpkins - "The End Is the Beginning Is the End"
• Tina Turner - "GoldenEye"
• U2 - "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me", "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own"

See also

In Spanish: Nellee Hooper para niños