Nell Smith, the young musician whose talents led to a collaboration with the Flaming Lips, has died. She was 17.
Smith’s death was confirmed via Instagram by Simon Raymonde, bassist/keyboardist for the Cocteau Twins, as well as the head of Bella Union, the label that was preparing to release Smith’s debut album next year.
“We are all shocked and devastated to hear of the sudden and tragic passing of our artist and dear friend Nell Smith, over the weekend in British Columbia,” Raymonde wrote, adding: “While we all try and come to terms with the awful news, and out of respect to Nell’s grieving family, we are unable to make any further comments at this time.”
No cause of death was given, though at last night’s Flaming Lips show in Portland, Oregon, frontman Wayne Coyne announced Smith’s death and said she died in a car accident.
“We are reminded once again of the power of music and how encouraging it can be to be around people that you love,” Coyne said, before asking the crowd to help out the Lips during their performance of “Suddenly Everything Has Changed.”
Smith was born in the U.K. but grew up in Canada. She struck up an unlikely friendship and collaborative relationship with the Flaming Lips after her parents took her to one of the band’s concerts and Coyne kept noticing the then 12 year old dressed in a parrot costume in the front row. Coyne kept in touch with Smith and her father as Smith learned to play guitar and write her own songs.
Eventually, during the pandemic, they came up with the idea to remotely record an album of Nick Cave covers. Smith laid down the initial recordings, then sent the files to the Lips, who provided the backing instrumentation. The record, Where the Viaduct Looms, was released in November 2021 (Smith was 14 at the time).
After Where the Viaduct Looms, Smith began to focus on her own music. She launched a Kickstarter campaign to help her fund her debut album of original material and ultimately reached her campaign goal. At the time, Smith said of the record, “I have always loved music and started writing some of the songs that will be on this album when I was 12, seeing them come to life is really exciting.”
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She also said she hoped the album, and a subsequent tour, would help fund her “real dream, which is to get to music school in the U.K.”
In his statement, Raymonde shared a few more details about the album: “Nell was just 17 and was preparing for the release of her first solo record in early 2025 on Bella Union, made in Brighton with Penelope Isles’ Jack and Lily Wolter.”
