Flaming Lips Collaborator Dies at 17

Nell Smith, the younger Canadian singer-songwriter who captured the hearts of many together with her collaboration with The Flaming Lips, has died at simply 17 years previous.

Her dying on Oct. 5 was confirmed by her household in an announcement on Instagram, saying, “It pains us a lot to say that our feisty, proficient, distinctive, stunning daughter was cruelly taken from us on Saturday night time.”

“We’re reeling from the information and don’t know what to do or say,” they continued. “She had a lot extra to expertise and to present this world however we’re grateful that she obtained to expertise so very a lot in her 17 years. She has left an indelible mark on the phrase and an unfillable chasm in our hearts.”

“Maintain your children additional tight tonight and for now please go away us to work via issues. We’ll shout after we want you. Jude, Rachel, Jed and Ike.”

Throughout a Flaming Lips live performance on Oct. 6, frontman Wayne Coyne shared the unhappy information with followers, explaining that Nell had been in a automotive accident.

Earlier than enjoying “All the things Has Modified,” Coyne mentioned: “We now have a really unhappy announcement to make tonight. We now have a Canadian pal, her identify is Nell. We recorded an incredible album together with her three years in the past, an album stuffed with songs by Nick Cave. We now have some very unhappy messages right this moment — she was killed in a automotive accident final night time.”

“We’re reminded as soon as once more of the facility of music and the way encouraging it may be to be round folks that you simply love.”

Nell was getting ready for the discharge of her debut solo album in 2025, which had already garnered assist via a profitable Kickstarter marketing campaign.

Bella Union’s Simon Raymonde, the pinnacle of her label, shared his grief on Instagram: “We’re all shocked and devastated to listen to of the sudden and tragic passing of our artist and pricey pal Nell Smith … Whereas all of us attempt to come to phrases with the terrible information, and out of respect to Nell’s grieving household, we’re unable to make any additional feedback right now.”

Nell’s relationship with The Flaming Lips was nothing wanting extraordinary. The connection started in 2018 when Nell, then simply 12, attended one among their exhibits wearing a parrot costume, catching the eye of Coyne.

The second sparked an ongoing friendship between Nell, Coyne and her household. Coyne inspired Nell as she started studying to play guitar, and their collaboration really took off throughout the pandemic.

When their plans to document collectively had been derailed by COVID-19, Coyne instructed an bold venture: Nell would document covers of Nick Cave songs, regardless of not figuring out a lot about Cave’s work.

The consequence was The place the Viaduct Looms, a 2021 album that includes Nell’s haunting renditions of Cave’s songs, backed by The Flaming Lips. Coyne remarked on the time, “It’s all the time nice to satisfy excited, younger artistic folks. With Nell, we might see she is on a journey and thought it will be enjoyable to affix her for some time and see if we might get issues going.”

Nick Cave himself praised Nell’s work, notably her cowl of “Woman in Amber,” writing on The Crimson Hand Recordsdata in 2021, “This model of ‘Woman in Amber’ is simply pretty, I used to be going to say Nell Smith inhabits the music, however that’s fallacious, fairly she vacates the music, in a manner that I might by no means do.”

“I all the time discovered it tough to step away from this explicit music and sing it with its essential take away, simply obtained so snarled within the phrases, I assume.”

“Nell exhibits a exceptional understanding of the music, a way of dispassion that’s each stunning and chilling. I simply find it irresistible. I’m a fan.”

Nell Smith’s journey in music might have been transient, but it surely was crammed with creativity, ardour and a daring spirit. Her collaborations with The Flaming Lips and her distinctive interpretations of Nick Cave’s work made her a pressure to be reckoned with within the indie music scene.

Smith’s passing comes throughout one other heartbreaking second for The Flaming Lips household. The band’s instrumentalist, Steven Drozd, is at present coping with the disappearance of his 16-year-old daughter, Charlotte “Bowie” Drozd.

Each Drozd himself and frontman Coyne took to their social media pages on Monday (Oct. 7) to share a lacking individual poster of 16-year-old Charlotte “Bowie” Drozd, who has been lacking since round 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. In accordance with the posts, Bowie was final seen on the monorail in Seattle, Washington, close to the Area Needle.

Anybody with data is inspired to contact the Seattle Police Division at 206-625-5011 or name Bowie’s mom, Becky.

A model of this story first appeared on Billboard.com.