Nick Kamen facts for kids

Ivor Neville "Nick" Kamen (born 15 April 1962 – died 4 May 2021) was a British singer, songwriter, and model. He was famous for his hit songs "Each Time You Break My Heart" (1986) and "I Promised Myself" (1990). Many people also remember him from a popular Levi's jeans TV advertisement in 1985.

Nick Kamen's Early Life

Nick Kamen was born in Harlow, Essex, England. He went to St Marks RC Comprehensive School there. He was the seventh of eight children in his family. He had four sisters and three brothers, including Ronald, Chester Kamen, and Barry Kamen.

Nick Kamen's Career

Nick Kamen first appeared in a music video in 1982. It was for the synthpop band Visage and their song The Damned Don't Cry. In 1984, he became more widely known. He was featured on the front cover of The Face magazine. The cover showed him wearing a ski-hat, lipstick, and cool aviator sunglasses.

The Famous Levi's Commercial

Kamen became very famous in the UK because of a 1985 Levi's commercial. It was called the "Launderette" ad. In the commercial, he took off his clothes down to his boxer shorts. He was waiting for his blue jeans to wash in a 1950s-style laundromat. This ad was part of a series that helped sell many Levi 501 jeans. In 2000, this commercial was ranked as the sixth greatest TV ad ever.

Musical Success in Europe

Nick Kamen's music was very popular, especially in Europe. His first song, "Each Time You Break My Heart", came out in 1986. It reached number 5 in the UK music charts. The famous singer Madonna helped write and produce this song. She also sang background vocals on it.

His second song, "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever", was also a hit in the UK. It reached number 16. This song was a cover of a 1966 hit by the Four Tops. While his later songs were not as big in the UK, they were very successful in other parts of Europe. This included countries like Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.

More Albums and Hits

In 1988, Nick Kamen released his second album, Us. Madonna again sang background vocals on a song called "Tell Me". This song was a huge hit in Italy. It stayed at number 1 for nine weeks! Later that year, a collection of his songs called Loving You reached number 7 on the Italian album charts. In 1989, he sang "Turn It Up" for the Disney movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

His third album, Move Until We Fly, came out in 1990. It included another big European hit, "I Promised Myself". This song made it into the top ten in many European countries. It was one of the most played songs in Europe that year. Other artists like Dead or Alive and A-Teens later covered this song.

TV Appearances

Nick Kamen also appeared on British TV shows. He sang on Top of the Pops several times in 1986 and 1987. He also appeared on This Morning and The Tube. His brother, Chester Kamen, often played guitar with him during these performances.

His final album, Whatever, Whenever, was released in 1992. Later, in 2015 and 2020, special collections of his music were released for fans.

Nick Kamen's Death

Nick Kamen passed away at his home in London on 4 May 2021. He was 59 years old. He had been battling bone marrow cancer for three years. He received treatment at Hammersmith Hospital in West London. After his death, Madonna shared a tribute. She wrote that he was "always such a kind, sweet human" and that he "suffered too much". In May 2021, his brother Chester Kamen released a song called "Stories". He dedicated it to the memory of his two younger brothers, Nick and Barry.

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