Nick Kamen
Biography
Nick Kamen, born Ivor Neville Kamen, was an English model, singer-songwriter and singer, born on 15 April 1962 in Harlow and died on 4 May 2021 in London.
He first became famous as a model, notably appearing on the cover of The Face magazine in 1984. His notoriety in the United Kingdom was significantly amplified by the 1985 Levi’s ‘Launderette’ television advertisement, in which he undressed in a laundrette.
His music career began in 1986 with the single Each Time You Break My Heart, which reached number 5 on the UK charts. The song was written and produced by Madonna and her frequent collaborator Stephen Bray, with Madonna on backing vocals.
His second single, a cover of Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, reached number 16 in the UK. While his later successes were less significant in the UK, they were very successful in the rest of Europe, particularly in Italy, France, Germany and Spain.
His first, self-titled album ‘Nick Kamen’ was released in 1986. His second album ‘Us’ (1988) was produced by Patrick Leonard, another regular collaborator of Madonna. On this album, Madonna again appeared as a backing vocalist on the song Tell Me, which became a huge hit in Italy, staying at number one for nine weeks in the summer of 1988.
In 1989, he performed the song Turn It Up on the soundtrack for the Walt Disney film ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’.
His third album ‘Move Until We Fly’ was released in 1990 and contained another major European hit, the single I Promised Myself. This track reached the top ten in several European countries and was the fourth most played song in Europe in 1990.
His last album ‘Whatever, Whenever’ was released in 1992.
He was the brother of session guitarist Chester Kamen and artist Barry Kamen. After his death following a long battle with bone marrow cancer, Madonna paid tribute to him. His brother Chester Kamen also dedicated a song, ‘Stories’, performed by his band The Twins, to his memory.
In 2015, Cherry Red Records reissued his first album as a two-disc deluxe edition, followed by the 6-CD box set ‘The Complete Collection’ in 2020.