Shara Nelson facts for kids

Shara Nelson, born in 1965, is a talented English singer and songwriter. She became well-known for her work with the music group Massive Attack in the early 1990s. As a solo artist, she had five songs that reached the top 40 in the UK music charts. Her first solo album, What Silence Knows, released in 1993, was even nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize.

Shara Nelson's Music Journey

Starting Her Career

Shara Nelson's first song was "Aiming at Your Heart" in 1983, which she released with a group called The Circuit. Later, in 1986, she put out her first solo song, "Can't Get Over You," using just the name "Shara." She released a few more solo songs in the 1980s. In the late 1980s, she started working with a DJ and production team from Bristol called The Wild Bunch. This team later formed the famous group Massive Attack.

Working with Massive Attack

Shara Nelson's first song with Massive Attack was "Daydreaming" in 1990. She didn't just sing; she also helped write songs with them. One of their biggest hits together was "Unfinished Sympathy" from their first album, Blue Lines, released in 1991. This song reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and is still highly praised by music critics. Many people consider it one of the most moving dance music songs ever made.

Shara Nelson co-wrote and sang on four songs on the Blue Lines album. Another hit from the album was "Safe From Harm", which reached No. 25 in the UK. She also recorded a special song with Massive Attack called "Just A Matter of Time" for a short film.

Solo Success in the 1990s

In July 1993, Shara Nelson started her solo career again with the hit song "Down That Road". It reached No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart. Her first solo album, What Silence Knows, came out in September 1993. This album was a big success, reaching No. 22 on the UK album chart and selling over 100,000 copies. Shara helped write all the songs on the album.

More popular songs from the album included "One Goodbye in Ten" (UK No. 21), "Uptight" (UK No. 19), and "Inside Out" (UK No. 34).

In 1994, What Silence Knows was nominated for the Mercury Prize for Best Album. Shara Nelson was also nominated for "Best British Female Solo Artist" and "Best British Breakthrough Act" at the Brit Awards.

Her second album, Friendly Fire, was released in 1995. It featured the hit song "Rough with the Smooth", which reached No. 30 in the UK. While this album was not as successful as her first, it still reached No. 44 in the UK. She was nominated again for "Best British Female Solo Artist" at the 1996 BRIT Awards.

In 1997, Shara Nelson sang the song "Moonraker" for an album called Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project. This song was originally sung by Shirley Bassey for a James Bond movie.

Towards the end of the 1990s, Shara Nelson worked with other artists. She collaborated with Charles Webster's Presence project on the song "Sense of Danger" in 1998. She also worked with Air Cuba on "Black Island" and with BLIM and Chris Carter as Kasha on the track "U" in 1999.

Music in the 2000s and 2010s

In the 2000s, Shara Nelson continued to release new music and collaborate with other artists. In 2003, she worked with Adrian Sherwood, who founded the record label that released her very first song. She also released her first solo song since 1996, called "Nobody Else", in 2004.

In 2007, she was featured on a song called "Go That Deep" by NUfrequency. She also co-wrote and sang on "I Wanna Know" for Doug Wimbish's album CinemaSonics in 2008.

In 2012, a new version of Massive Attack's Blue Lines album was released, featuring Shara Nelson on four songs, including "Unfinished Sympathy" and "Safe From Harm." In September 2012, Shara Nelson performed live for the first time in many years, which made fans excited about her possible return to music. She sang "Unfinished Sympathy" at a concert to support Cool Earth.

In 2013, she contributed vocals to "Badger Swagger" by The Artful Badger, a song supporting a petition to stop badger culling. In 2014, she released a new song called "Promised" with NUfrequency. She also joined "The Peace Collective" to sing on the charity single "All Together Now" in December 2014.

Shara Nelson, along with Britton and John Power, wrote and recorded the title song, "Looking," for the film Anti-Social. She released a solo version of this song, "Looking (Meghan Markle's Theme)," in 2018.

Recent Work in the 2020s

In October 2020, Shara Nelson was the main singer on Charles Webster's single "This Is Real." They had worked together before on other projects. A remixed version of "This Is Real" was released in 2022.

Discography

Studio albums

• 1991: Blue Lines with Massive Attack
• 1993: What Silence Knows (UK No. 22)
• 1995: Friendly Fire (UK No. 44)
• 1999: All Systems Gone (with Charles Webster's Presence)

Collaborations and rare tracks

• 1983: "Aiming at Your Heart"/"Just as Long as We Have Love" (with The Circuit)
• 1984: "Savanna Prance" (with The Missing Brazilians), "In Another World" (with Voice of Authority)
• 1985: "Love's Hit You" (vinyl-only solo single)
• 1985: "Love Mystery" (with Jah Wobble)
• 1986: "Can't Get Over You" (single as Shara)
• 1986: "Standing Invitation" (single as Sharon Nelson)
• 1989: "Je T'Aime" (with Dub Syndicate)
• 1991: "Safe from Harm"/"Unfinished Sympathy"/"Lately"/"Daydreaming" (with Massive Attack)
• 1994: "On the Shore" (with Saint Etienne), "Heart of Stone"/"Welcome to the Suburbs" (with Dave Stewart)
• 1995: "Nobody Knows" (with Guru)
• 1996: "Good Intentions"/"Faraway Places" (with Groove Corporation)
• 1998: "Moonraker" (with David Arnold)
• 1999: "Sense of Danger"/"Matter of Fact" (with Presence), "Black Island" (with Cuba), "U" (with Kasha)
• 2001: "If", "Promise To You", "Different" (free downloads of unreleased tracks on official website)
• 2002: "Be My Lighthouse" (with Bim Sherman), "Realise" (with Jason Sparkes)
• 2003: "Right Now" (with Futurasound), "Hari Up Hari" (with Adrian Sherwood)
• 2004: "Nobody Else" (vinyl-only single), "Say My Name" (with Little Axe)
• 2007: "Push Me Away" (with 10th Planet)
• 2008: "Go That Deep" (with NUfrequency), "I Wanna Know" (with Doug Wimbish)
• 2013: "Badger Swagger" (with The Artful Badger)
• 2014: "Promised" (with NUfrequency), "All Together Now" (with The Peace Collective)
• 2015: "Looking" (from the film "Anti-Social" OST)
• 2018: "Looking (Megan Markle's Theme)" solo single, digital release
• 2020: "This Is Real" (with Charles Webster)
• 2022: “This Is Real” Dazzle Drums Mix (with Charles Webster)
• 2023: “This Is Real” Original Demo Mix (with Charles Webster)

Awards and Nominations

Shara Nelson has been recognized for her music with several important nominations:

• 1994: Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for Best Album (for What Silence Knows)
• 1994: Nominated for two BRIT Awards: "Best British Female Solo Artist" and "Best British Breakthrough Act"
• 1996: Nominated again for a BRIT Award for "Best British Female Solo Artist"

See also

In Spanish: Shara Nelson para niños