Nadine Shah: 2019
Nadine Shah in Reykjavík at Iceland Airwaves 2018 (photo by Kara Manning, WFUV)
It took a trip to Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavík in early November 2018 to finally catch up with Mercury Prize nominee Nadine Shah, shortlisted for that prestigious award last year for her politically outspoken third album, Holiday Destination. Shah, who has yet to tour the States, though she is a frequent visitor, flew in for a handful of hours to play a set at one of the festival's many venues, Gamla Bió, before jetting back to Britain.
But between her arrival and that rocking midnight set, I had the chance to chat with Shah in a hotel lounge, talking about the many issues that drove the writing of Holiday Destination — the agony of the Syrian refugee crisis, Brexit, Islamophobia, and anti-immigration rhetoric. And she hinted at the ideas percolating for her fourth album, inspired by gender politics and the #MeToo movement.
