Nevell, Independent
"D'Addario offers a huge range in products, making it easy to find the right drumhead for the music, or perfectly balanced stick for my hands. The feeling I get back from the gear is exactly what I'm looking for. For me, D'Addario is the best match!"
"D'Addario offers a huge range in products, making it easy to find the right drumhead for the music, or perfectly balanced stick for my hands. The feeling I get back from the gear is exactly what I'm looking for. For me, D'Addario is the best match!"
"The smaller tip on my signature stick makes such a big difference! It is sharpening my sound and makes it so much easier to control cleanliness in speed. This stick supports me in the best way when it comes to all the details and finesse work."
Anika Nilles is a German Musician, Drummer, Composer and Educator. Her career certainly started completely different as it usually is expected. In her early twenties, Anika studied social education and worked as a teacher in a preschool as in an Institution for disabled people as well, before she started an unbelievable career as a musician. She grew up in a family with a musical background. Her father caught interest in Drums in her childhood, through being a drummer by himself. With the support of her parents, at a time seeing a female playing the drums wasn't usual, Anika started playing this instrument. In her late twenties, she quit her job and started studying at the Popakademie - University of Popularmusic and Music Business in Mannheim Germany. In her second year she already received a special scholarship for extraordinary and outstanding Performances. During her time at the Popakademie, she worked already together with Artists like Herbie Crichlow, Ashley Hicklin, Jennifer Weist. Later she played as a freelance Drummer with Artists like Caligola, Max Mutzke, and Namika.
Anika built up a name for herself over the last four years as a Youtube sensation, boasting more than 13 million views on her drum videos featuring original compositions, as well as being a solo artist touring through Europe, Asia, Canada and Russia. Anika's playing style is distinguished by her strong groove, her finesse in technique, her unique sound and her ability how to use odd rhythms to make them sounding easy! Her use of the drum set as an expressive instrument rather than just a rhythm keeper allows for some extravagant playing without stealing the focus away from the music.
Anika inspires drummers and musicians worldwide to develop their skills and create their own music. She turned out as an important role model for lot of other female drummers who looking for their place in this male-dominated scene of drummers. Anika has released various singles, as well as a debut album "Pikalar" (under Sakurai Records), all of which earned spaces on several of the top music charts all around the world. Upon release, "Pikalar" was immediately listed on the 'iTunes 200 Top Rock Releases' charts in the USA and climbed its way to number 113 (a remarkable feat for a mostly instrumental album).
Well-known in the drumming community, Anika won the 'Modern Drummer Readers Poll' for 'Up And Coming Artist' as well as '#1 Rising Star' in "DRUM!" Magazine in 2015, 2016 and for best Fusion Drummer on #2 in 2017 and 2018. She also has been voted to #3 for the best educator on UK drummies awards in 2017 and #1 for "Best Clinician' on UK music radar" in 2018. With Anika Nilles / NEVELL, Anika pulled together a group of three energetic and passionate musicians to help turn her music into a spectacular live show. Her music is instrumental Prog/Fusion with singable melodies accompanied by the incredible talent and musicianship that each of the players contributes. Influenced by Pop, Funk, Prog and Jazz music, Anika Nilles / NEVELL finds itself in the same category as bands like Toto, Chon, Plini, Dream Theater, Aristocrats and Joe Satriani, yet Anika's signature style of super-hip odd-time- and odd-grouping grooves, tricky metric modulations, and intense full-kit fills gives NEVELL's music its distinct sound and identity.
