title: Little Mix

text: On 15 July 2015, Little Mix announced on Twitter that their third studio album would be titled "Get Weird" and would be available for pre-order in the UK from the following day, with a global release date set for 6 November 2015. The group performed at the Gibraltar Music Festival on 5 September 2015, an annual music festival held in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. On 25 September the group released "Love Me Like You" as the second single from the album, it was released as a single only in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The group performed the song for the first time at "X Factor" Australia in October 2015, then at the Royal Albert Hall in December 2015 and at the Capital Jingle Bell Ball. The group's third studio album "Get Weird" debuted at number 2 in the UK becoming their highest-charting album there. In the US, the album peaked at number 13 on Billboard 200, making Little Mix the only girl group from the UK to have their first three albums debut in the top fifteen of the "Billboard" 200. The album has been certified double platinum in the UK and has sold over 600,000 units there as of August 2016, making it their best selling album yet. The group performed a medley of "Black Magic" and "Sax" with the former UK "X Factor" contestant Fleur East on the season finale of X Factor. On 5 December the group announced on Twitter that "Secret Love Song" featuring the American R&B singer Jason Derulo would be released as the album's third single. The single reached number six on the UK Singles Chart. On 24 February 2016 the group performed "Black Magic" at the 2016 Brit Awards, where they were nominated for Best British Single and British Artist Video.


title: Little Mix

text: On 13 March 2016 Little Mix embarked on The Get Weird Tour to promote the album, the arena tour consist of 60 dates across Europe, Australia and Asia. The Get Weird tour sold over 300,000 tickets in the UK. On 11 April 2016, the group announced that "Hair" would serve as the fourth single from "Get Weird" and would feature newly recorded guest vocals from reggae pop recording artist Sean Paul. The single was released on 15 April 2016 and reached number 11 on the UK chart while peaking at number 10 in Australia making it their fourth top 10 single there.


title: Little Mix

text: On 21 June 2016 it was revealed that the group had begun work on their fourth studio album; they later confirmed that they would be releasing new music "before Christmas". In an interview at V Festival in Chelmsford, the group announced that the lead single from their fourth studio album would be released in October 2016. On 13 October 2016, Little Mix announced the song's title as "Shout Out to My Ex" and that their fourth studio album would be called "Glory Days". "Shout Out to My Ex" was released on 16 October 2016, following the first live performance of the song on "The X Factor". The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart becoming their fourth chart topping single there. It sold 67,000 downloads in its opening week, becoming the biggest opening week download sales for a song in 2016 in the UK.


title: Little Mix

text: "Glory Days" was released on 18 November 2016 and debuted at number one on the UK album chart, becoming the group's first UK number one album and the eighth girl group in history to achieve a number one album. The album sold 96,000 copies in combined sales in the first week which is the highest first week sales for a UK girl group number one album since the Spice Girls in 1997 and the fastest-selling number one album by any girl group in 15 years, since Destiny's Child's "Survivor" in 2001. "Glory Days" spent five weeks at number one on the UK album chart, making it the longest reigning girl group number one since the Spice Girls' debut 20 years previously, surpassing Destiny's Child's "Survivor". The album reached number one in Ireland and debuted at number two in Australia, and in the top 10 in the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.


title: Little Mix

text: On 1 December 2016, Little Mix performed "Shout Out to My Ex", at the 2016 Los 40 Music Awards in Barcelona, Spain. Little Mix announced on 5 December 2016 that "Touch" would be released as the second single from "Glory Days". It was released on 18 December 2016 and reached number four in the UK. At the 2017 Brit Awards the group was nominated for three awards, winning Best British Single for "Shout Out to My Ex", which they also performed on the award show. A remix of their song "No More Sad Songs", featuring Machine Gun Kelly, was released on 3 March 2017 as the third single from "Glory Days" and peaked at number fifteen on the UK Official Singles Chart.


title: Little Mix

text: From February to April 2017 Little Mix toured North America as one of the opening acts for Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman Tour. The group then embarked on their own headlining The Glory Days Tour which began on 24 May 2017 in Europe, with the first UK date being on 9 October in Scotland. A remix of their song "Power", featuring Stormzy, was released on 26 May 2017 as the fourth single from "Glory Days" and peaked at number six in the UK. In August 2017, Little Mix and Latin American boy band CNCO collaborated on a remixed version of the latter group's song "Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos)". The song was included on the reissue of "Glory Days", which was released on 24 November 2017, and featured a revised track listing of four remixed songs and three new songs, as well as a bonus documentary. As of November 2017, "Glory Days" has sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide. The group announced on 27 November 2017 that they would be undertaking the Summer Hits Tour 2018, with tickets going on sale on 30 November.


title: Little Mix

text: In February 2018, Pinnock announced that the group were working on their fifth album, set for release in 2018, and that there would be a tour to accompany the album. On 14 June 2018, it was revealed that a song by Little Mix and American DJ trio Cheat Codes, "Only You", would be part of the compilation album "The Pool Party", to be released on 6 July 2018 by Ministry of Sound. The song was released on 22 June 2018.


title: Little Mix

text: In September 2018, the group announced "Woman Like Me", the lead single from their fifth studio album "LM5", featuring US rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on 12 October 2018. The music video for the song was released two weeks after, on 25 October 2018. The song debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart, later peaking at number two. On 21 October 2018, Little Mix performed "Woman Like Me" for the first time at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards, where they also won "Best British Group" at the ceremony. Little Mix also performed the song on "The X Factor" on 27 October 2018.


title: Little Mix

text: After the release of "Woman Like Me", Little Mix were dragged into a feud between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, with Cardi B claiming that the song was sent to her first, before giving the feature to Minaj. On 30 October 2018, the group went on to address the situation in a tweet saying that both rappers were approached by their label to work on the song but Minaj was approached first. They also stated "We went with Nicki because like we've said over and over for years, it's been a dream of ours to work with her since the beginning".


title: Little Mix

text: On 2 November 2018, the group released "Joan of Arc" as the first promotional single from "LM5", and peaked at number 61 on the UK Singles Chart. A week later on 9 November 2018, "Told You So" was released as the second promotional single from the album and peaked at number 83 on the UK Singles Chart. The group then performed "Woman Like Me" alongside Nicki Minaj at the MTV European Music Awards on 4 November 2018, where they won an award for best UK & Ireland Act. It was later announced that the group would split from Cowell's record label, Syco Music, due to the label no longer working with the group's management company.


title: Little Mix

text: "LM5" was released on 16 November 2018 and was serviced by RCA UK and Columbia Records, with future records to be released by the latter. On 13 November 2018, Little Mix teamed up with Apple Music for an exclusive live performance in London, featuring new tracks from their new album, "LM5". The performances was accompanied by a live band, which marked the group's first time to perform with a live band in three years. The same day, "The Cure" was released as the third and final promotional single from the "LM5" album, where it peaked at number 49 on the UK Singles Chart. Alongside the album release, the music videos for the album tracks "Strip" and "More Than Words" were also released.On 14 December 2018, Little Mix performed "Think About Us" for the first time on "The Graham Norton Show". On 25 January 2019, Little Mix released a remix version of their song "Think About Us" as the second and final single from their "LM5" album. The song features American singer-songwriter Ty Dollar $ign. The song peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. At the 2019 Brit Awards, the group was nominated for two awards, winning Best British Video for "Woman Like Me". During the ceremony, they performed a remix of the song with South London rapper Ms. Banks. During a live stream, Jesy Nelson mentioned that the group were at the writing stage for their sixth studio album. They announced their single "Bounce Back" on 26 May 2019. On the same day, Little Mix performed at the 2019 BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. "Bounce Back" was released on 14 June 2019. On 1 September 2019, the group headlined the second night of the Fusion Festival in Liverpool, UK.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix's sixth concert tour, , started on 16 September 2019 in Madrid, Spain. The tour supported their fifth studio album, "LM5", and consisted of 40 shows across Europe, concluding on 22 November 2019. During the last show of the tour, Stormzy and Kamille joined Little Mix to perform "Power" and "More Than Words" respectively. On 18 November 2019, Little Mix announced that they would release their first Christmas single, titled "One I've Been Missing". The song was released on 22 November 2019. The group was named as the eighth most played artist of that year in the UK.


title: Little Mix

text: On 15 January 2020, Little Mix announced on social media that they would be headlining the GRLS! Festival in São Paulo, Brazil. They performed at the festival on 8 March 2020. In February 2020, the group began filming a reality television music competition show, titled "Little Mix The Search", which began airing on BBC One on 26 September 2020.


title: Little Mix

text: In March 2020, "Pollstar" released a list of the 50 highest-grossing female tours of the previous two decades (2000–2019). Little Mix were placed as the second girl group on the list, only behind the Spice Girls, with $94,856,997 gross and 1,757,654 tickets sold. On 12 March 2020, Little Mix released a music video for their song, "Wasabi", which marked the end of their "LM5" era.


title: Little Mix

text: On 27 March 2020, the group released "Break Up Song", the lead single from their then-untitled upcoming sixth studio album. This was the first release entirely under their new record label RCA. The single was accompanied by a lyric video, released on the same day. The music video for the song was released on 8 May 2020. The video was semi-animated, as they had to cancel their planned video shoot for the song due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Promotion for the single was also done remotely due to the pandemic. On 19 April 2020, Little Mix performed an acoustic version of their song "Touch" on the UK exclusive broadcast of the concert. On 24 July, the group released the second single from the album, titled "Holiday". The song was announced in a video posted to social media on 16 July 2020. A lyric video for the song was also released on the group's YouTube channel. The music video for "Holiday" was released on 28 August 2020. Little Mix embarked on their virtual concert titled Little Mix Uncancelled on 21 August, after their Summer 2020 Tour got cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 15 September 2020, Little Mix appeared on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge and performed an acoustic version of "Holiday". The group also covered Harry Styles' "Falling", with a mash-up of Joel Corry's "Head & Heart" towards the end. On 9 October, the promotional single "Not a Pop Song" was released. On 15 October, Little Mix announced their second promotional single "Happiness", released the next day. Their third single from the album, "Sweet Melody" was released on 23 October, as well as an accompanying music video. The track reached number one in the UK in January 2021, three months after its initial release.


title: Little Mix

text: Their sixth album, "Confetti", was released on 6 November 2020 with the title track being released the day before on 5 November 2020. The album art, title and release date were all announced on 16 September 2020. "Confetti" was described by Pinnock as the group's "biggest" album yet. On 8 November 2020, the group hosted the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards; they also performed "Sweet Melody" at the ceremony. From 21 to 22 November, a tour film of premiered in cinemas worldwide. The trailer for the film was released on YouTube on 15 October 2020. In Mexico, "" debuted in tenth place at the Mexican box office with $375.9 thousand pesos grossed.


title: Little Mix

text: Following an illness that prevented Nelson from appearing during the final of "Little Mix The Search" and co-hosting the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards alongside Edwards, Pinnock and Thirlwall, it was announced by the group's publicist on 17 November 2020 that Nelson would take an extended hiatus from the group for medical reasons. On 23 November, Little Mix and Nathan Dawe announced their collaboration for "No Time for Tears" on their social media. It was released as a single on 25 November 2020 by RCA and Warner Music. On 14 December 2020, Nelson announced her departure from the group due to mental health struggles. Following Nelson's departure, the group announced they would continue as a trio.


title: Little Mix

text: In January 2021, Little Mix scored their fifth UK number-one single with "Sweet Melody", which reached the top of the UK Singles Chart three months after its release. On 8 February 2021, the group postponed their Confetti Tour to 2022. The tour was originally scheduled to start in April 2021 but it was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and also for the safety of their crew and fans. In March 2021, Little Mix were featured on the cover of the March issue of "Glamour", which marked their first magazine cover as a trio. They also won the award for "Gamechangers in Music" at the Glamour Women of The Year Awards. Later that month, the group was featured on BBC Radio 1's LOL-a-thon for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day in support of helping those who struggle due to the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. On 31 March 2021, Little Mix were announced as one of the nominees for British Group at the 2021 Brit Awards.


title: Little Mix

text: On 21 April 2021, Little Mix announced that a remix of "Confetti", the title track of their most recent album, would serve as the album's fourth single. The remix, featuring American rapper Saweetie, was released on 30 April 2021, alongside a music video for the remix. The song debuted at number fifteen on the UK Singles Chart. On 29 April, the day before "Confetti" was released, Little Mix were featured on the cover of "Euphoria" Magazine. In May 2021, Little Mix were announced as the winner in the Best Group category at the 2021 Global Awards, and became the first ever girl group to win the Brit Award for British Group at the 2021 Brit Awards. The same month, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards both announced their pregnancies. On 13 May 2021, the group was featured on YouTube's Released with an exclusive acoustic live performance of their song "Confetti" following their episode. On 14 May 2021, Little Mix teased new music by posting a link to a website that displayed a 24-hour timer. On 15 May 2021, after the 24-hour timer finished, the group announced their new single "Heartbreak Anthem" with Galantis and David Guetta, which was released on 20 May 2021. A music video for the song, directed by Samuel Douek, was released on the same day. When the song spent its tenth week in the top ten in July 2021, Little Mix became the first girl group to accumulate 100 weeks spent inside the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. On 21 May, a day after the release of "Heartbreak Anthem", Little Mix were featured on the digital cover issue of "Hunger" magazine. In June 2021, it was revealed that Little Mix were the most-played group on UK radio in 2020 and the sixth overall.


title: Little Mix

text: On 16 July 2021, it was announced that Little Mix would be honoured with wax figures at Madame Tussauds in London, in celebration of the group's ten-year anniversary. Despite Jesy Nelson's departure from the group in December 2020, it was revealed she would still feature as one of the figures, as she was a significant part of the group during their ten years together, and the wax figures would depict the group in one of their most popular music videos. The figures were unveiled at the Baker Street attraction on 28 July 2021 depicts the group in the outfits used in their "Bounce Back" music video. On 23 July, the group released "Kiss My (Uh Oh)" in collaboration with Anne-Marie as the fourth single from her second studio album, "Therapy". The music video for the song was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and premiered on Anne-Marie's YouTube channel the same day.


title: Little Mix

text: On 19 August, the group announced they would release their first greatest hits album, "Between Us", in celebration of the group's ten-year anniversary. The album's lead single, "Love (Sweet Love)", was announced on 30 August 2021 and was released on 3 September. In October 2021, it was revealed that Little Mix was the ninth-most-played female artist of the 21st century in the United Kingdom so far and the only girl group in the top ten. "Between Us" was released in November 2021, featuring five new songs. On 11 November 2021, a day before "Between Us" was released, the group was featured on the covers of "DIY" and "Attitude" magazines to promote the album. In the same month, Little Mix won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best UK & Ireland Act, their fifth win in the category.


title: Little Mix

text: On 2 December 2021, the group announced that they would be going on hiatus following the completion of their planned Confetti Tour in 2022 in order to "recharge" and work on solo projects. In December 2021, Amazon named Little Mix as one of biggest artists of 2021 year on Amazon Music. In 2021, Vevo UK revealed that Little Mix was the top female act of that year and the only British act to appear on the list top ten. On 19 December 2021, the group received two nominations for the 2022 Brit Awards, for Group of the Year and International Song of the Year for "Heartbreak Anthem".


title: Little Mix

text: On 27 January 2022, Little Mix was nominated at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards for Dance Song of The Year with "Heartbreak Anthem". On 3 February, it was announced that the group was Sony Music's tenth biggest selling global act of 2021, with their greatest hits album, "Between Us", being one of their biggest selling album globally from that year.


title: Little Mix

text: On 5 April 2022, the group was nominated for "Best Group" at the Global Awards. Between April and May 2022 the group embarked on The Confetti Tour, which started on 9 April 2022 at the SSE Arena in Belfast, and concluded on 14 May 2022 at The O Arena in London. Following the first of their two shows at Glasgow's OVO Hydro Arena, they were commended and awarded a framed plaque to commemorate them becoming the band that has played the most dates, the group with the highest all-time ticket sales at the arena. After their second show, the Ovo Hydro Arena tweeted that Little Mix also now held the record for the "most tickets sold for a single all-seated show by a musical act" at the venue.


title: Little Mix

text: On 26 April 2022, Little Mix announced they would be live streaming their final tour date at The O Arena, in London. The stream is titled Little Mix: The Last Show (For Now...) and was available to both stream live and for a limited cinema release on 14 May 2022. Tickets were made available alongside with merchandise on 27 April 2022, with a portion of proceeds being donated to the charities Child Poverty Action Group and Choose Love. On 6 May 2022, Little Mix announced they plan to reunite in the future following their hiatus after The Confetti Tour. They stated they have decided to manage their own solo releases, and have no plans to release music around the same time as one another to avoid clashing on the charts. In the same month, the group appeared on "The One Show", which was their last interview before their hiatus. Before the group had entered their hiatus, Edwards admitted they were already planning a timeframe for their return, with her suggesting that their break may last two years.


title: Little Mix

text: On 21 May 2022, Little Mix was named as the second most richest celebrities on Times' The UK Young Music Rich List (30 or Under) with a net worth of 60 million. On 20 June, it was revealed that the group was the fourth most played artist of 2021 in the UK. On 7 July, Between Us was announced by Official Charts, as the fifth biggest selling album in the UK so far of that year. On 13 July, Little Mix announced a limited vinyl edition of their sixth studio album Confetti, in partnership with UNICEF UK, for their Blue Vinyl series. On 6 August, they released their 2023 edition calendar.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix are mainly a pop, R&B, and dance-pop girl group, with influences from genres including tropical house, latin pop, and electronic music. Their lyrics are often centred around feminism, gender equality, LGBT rights, body positivity, and sexism. All three members possess a three-octave soprano vocal range.


title: Little Mix

text: Perrie Edwards cites Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson and Steve Perry from the American rock band Journey as her musical influences. Jesy Nelson cites Spice Girls, TLC and Missy Elliott as her musical influences. Leigh Anne Pinnock cites Rihanna and Mariah Carey as her biggest influences. Jade Thirlwall references Diana Ross as her favourite singer. Little Mix cite Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Destiny's Child, En Vogue, Rihanna and TLC as their musical influences.


title: Little Mix

text: Since winning the British version of "The X Factor" in 2011, Little Mix have gone onto to become one of the show's most successful acts. During their decade together before the group announced their hiatus in 2021, they was often labelled as "the biggest girl group in the world" with "The Times" citing them "as the most successful girl group since the Spice Girls, and "Variety" describing them as the biggest girl group since the Spice Girls. The group have been named as one of the greatest girl groups of all time, with "Billboard" naming them as one of the most successful girl groups of the 10s decade. In 2022, Us Weekly Magazine named them as one of the best girl groups of all time.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix was named by "Forbes," as one of the most influential acts in Europe, referring to them "as this decade’s answer to Spice Girls". In 2021, the group received their own wax figures at Madame Tussauds, with them commenting "From their award-winning music, to inspiring the next generation, Little Mix have been a massive part of the past decade and long may that continue!". The group influence has also expanded overseas to Asian countries with their music being covered by numerous kpop idols, groups, and trainees, with Twice citing them as one of their influences. In 2021, Pitchfork, wrote that "Little Mix have captured K-pop’s spirit better than any other Western girl group". The group are also known for their strong vocals and signature harmonies.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix have been hailed as "the feminist girl band of our time". The group have been noted for their involvement with the feminist, girl power, and women's rights movement, with some of their songs' including Power, Salute, and Woman Like Me, being regarded as either girl power or feminist anthems. Their music has often been the subject of numerous topics including feminism, bullying, gender equality, female empowerment, body positivity, and sexism. In 2021, they was the first girl group to win Best British Group at the Brit Awards 2021, 41 years since it was first introduced and called out the music industry for its white male dominance, misogyny, sexism and lack of diversity during their acceptance speech.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix have amassed a huge following of LGBTQ fans and are cited as LGBTQ+ allies. Writing for Gay Times, Jack Rowe wrote "They’ve marched in Pride parades, had LGBTQ+ representation in their music videos, and are also vocal supporters of our community. Their concerts offers a safe space to LGBTQ+ people to be who they are without fear of judgement". At the Attitude Awards ceremony, in 2018, the group were awarded for using their platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and in 2019, was a recipient of a British LGBT Award. Their 2016 single "Secret Love Song" is also regarded as a gay anthem, and is credited to helping people come to terms with their own sexuality and feelings. In 2021, "Glamour" honoured them as Women of the Year Gamechangers in Music.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix are listed one of the most influential people in the UK after appearing on Debrett's list of the most influential people in the UK, and the "Forbes" 30 Under 30 list in 2018. The group have appeared on the "Sunday Times" "Young Rich List" for five consecutive years from 2017 to 2022 with a estimated net worth of 60 million. They was named by DIY as one of the most defining pop groups of our generation. Little Mix have become one Britain's biggest selling acts and one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, with estimated sales of over 50 million records worldwide.


title: Little Mix

text: After Little Mix's 2020 summer tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on 30 July 2020, the group announced on their social media that they would be performing a virtual concert, titled Little Mix Uncancelled (stylised as 'Little Mix UNCancelled'). On 21 August 2020, the group performed the concert at Knebworth House, where they had also filmed their "Woman Like Me" music video in 2018. The concert showcased the live premiere of "Break Up Song" and "Holiday". It also has two exclusive performances for Compare The Market account holders. Little Mix Uncancelled was nominated at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Virtual Live, a special category created as a result of the pandemic.


title: Little Mix

text: On 17 October 2019, it was announced that the group were set to launch a talent series on BBC One titled "Little Mix The Search", in which they would create and mentor new bands, with the winners joining them on their Summer 2020 Tour. The series was set to premiere in April 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It began airing on 26 September 2020, with the winner set to support the group on their Confetti Tour in 2021.


title: Little Mix

text: In May 2012, Little Mix launched a Union Flag-themed pack of M&M's and performed at the M&M's World store in London. That year they also released their first book, called "Ready to Fly". The title is a reference to their debut single "Wings". The book was published through HarperCollins and documents the group's journey since auditioning for "The X Factor". The girl group signed a joint deal with toymaker Vivid and music merchandiser Bravado to release a range of products including dolls, puzzles, accessories and games in November.


title: Little Mix

text: During 2012, Little Mix also unveiled a children's clothing range with clothing retailer Primark. The line was aimed at 7–13 year olds and was composed of accessories, T-shirts, leggings and nightwear. In 2013, the group promoted Schwarzkopf hair dye "Live Colour XXL" through their music video for "How Ya Doin'?". That year, the group also launched a range of nails and nail wraps in partnership with Elegant Touch and New Look. In early 2014, Little Mix launched their new range of nails with Elegant Touch as a result of the previous success. In September 2013, Little Mix launched their first makeup line with Collection. During May 2014, the group teamed up with Vibe Audio to bring out Little Mix zip cable headphones.


title: Little Mix

text: In June 2015, Little Mix launched their debut fragrance "Gold Magic". In December 2015, it was announced that Little Mix would be the new global ambassadors for the women's fitness brand USA Pro. In July 2016, Little Mix launched their second fragrance "Wishmaker". In 2017, their third fragrance, "Wishmaker Party Edition" was released. In 2018, Little Mix partnered with dry shampoo brand, Colab. Later that year, Little Mix released limited edition skin care products in partnership with Simple, a skin care brand owned by Unilever, with the group being involved in creating the packaging for the products. Little Mix's partnership with Simple continued in 2019 and 2020, continuing in partnership with anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label, and aims to tackle online bullying. The group also launched the 'Choose Kindness' campaign with the latter together with a new skin care range. Their fourth fragrance, Style, was also released. In September 2018, Little Mix released their second makeup line, LMX Beauty in Boots UK. On 7 November 2019, Little Mix released their first clothing collection with PrettyLittleThing.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix took part in the recording of the 2011 "X Factor" charity single along with the finalists of "The X Factor" 2011 and previous "X Factor" contestants JLS and One Direction. They covered the 1978 hit single "Wishing on a Star" by Rose Royce. All proceeds from the single went to the children's charity Together for Short Lives, which provides ongoing care and support for seriously and terminally ill children, young people and their families from the moment of diagnosis. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart with first-week sales of 98,932 copies. In 2012, the group performed their single "Change Your Life" on the Children In Need 2012 broadcast appeal show, helping raise over £26,757,446 for the cause which helps disadvantaged children in the UK. Little Mix also appeared at the two-part charity concert Children in Need Rocks 2013 to raise money for the campaign, performing a medley of their singles "Change Your Life", "DNA" and "Wings". The concert was broadcast on BBC One during the Children In Need week.


title: Little Mix

text: In March 2014, Little Mix teamed up with BeatBullying, the largest anti-bullying organisation in Europe. The quartet is backing the anti-bullying media campaign "The Big March" and the #DeleteCyberbullying project. The campaign is urging the European Commission to introduce new laws to protect children from bullying and cyberbullying, for 77 million euros (£57m) to be set aside for services that protect them and for an annual awareness day to promote the movement. Pinnock said: "Myself and the girls have all experienced being bullied at some point in our life. When we see on Twitter that some of our fans are going through it now we find it so upsetting and that's the reason we feel so passionate about this campaign and the work that BeatBullying does." In March 2014, Little Mix released a cover of Cameo's single "Word Up!" as the official single for Sport Relief 2014. The group also visited Liberia to witness the work paid for by the Sport Relief donations. In 2019, Thirlwall and Pinnock climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief.


title: Little Mix

text: In March 2021, Little Mix participated in BBC Radio 1's "LOL-a-thon" for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day in support of helping those who struggle due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. The money raised would also help tackle hunger, homelessness, domestic abuse and mental health stigma.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix have used their fame as a platform to advocate for female empowerment, body positivity and LGBTQ+ rights.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix was the first group to win The X Factor UK, becoming the first girl group to reach the final of the series, with their win marking the first time that a girl group had made it past week seven of the live shows. As of 2022, they remain the only girl group to have won the show. They remain as the winning act with the most number one songs from the series and the most 20 UK Top 40 singles. Their debut single "Wings", made them the only third winners from the show, to follow up their winner's single with a second number-one. Their debut album DNA, reached number four on the US Billboard 200, setting a new record for the highest chart entry for a debut album by British girl group. It also had the highest chart entry there for female group’s debut album since Danity Kane in 2006.


title: Little Mix

text: In 2015, Black Magic reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, remaining at number one for three consecutive weeks, becoming the first single by a girl group to spend more than one week at number one since sugababes released "About You Now" in 2007. It became the first single by girl group in over a decade to achieve a platinum certification. In the same year Little Mix became the first UK girl group to have their first three studio albums debut in the top fifteen of the "Billboard" 200. It set a new record for the longest-charting album by a girl group on the UK Albums Chart. Shout Out to My Ex, became the group's fourth number one single in the UK, making them the act with the most number-one singles from The X Factor UK. It later became the second-best selling girl group single released in the UK, behind "Wannabe", by the Spice Girls. It holds the record for the most streamed girl group song in the country with over 196 million streams.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix's fourth album, Glory Days, made them the eighth girl group to achieve a number-one album in the UK. It also became the fastest-selling number-one album by a girl group in 15 years, since "Survivor" by Destiny's Child, and achieved the highest first-week UK album sales for a girl group since "Spiceworld". It spent five weeks at number one, the longest run at the top for a girl group album since the Spice Girls released "Spice" in 1996. It holds the record for the longest charting girl group album inside the top 40 on the UK Albums Chart. In 2018, the album became Little Mix's first to reach over a billion streams on Spotify, and became the most streamed girl group album on the platform, and the first girl group album to reach 2 billion streams. "Woman Like Me" became the first song by a girl group to reach number one on the worldwide iTunes chart.


title: Little Mix

text: In the 2018, Little mix was the first girl group to have five top-five studio albums on the UK Albums Chart. They are also the first girl group to have three or more albums receive over a billion streams each on the Spotify. They are the girl group with the most platinum music certifications in the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2021, they became the first girl group to accumulate 100 weeks spent in the Top 10 of the UK Official Singles Chart. When "Sweet Melody" reached number one in 2021, it made Little Mix joint 11th on the list of artists with the most number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart. The group also hold the record for the most number-one singles on the Official Big Top 40, with eight in total. Their singles "Shout Out to My Ex", "Touch" and "Black Magic" are three of the most-streamed songs by female artists on the UK's Official Top 40.


title: Little Mix

text: The group have embarked on six tours and have sold over three million concert tickets worldwide. Their fourth concert The Glory Days Tour, became the sixth highest-grossing tour of 2017 by a female artists. During the in 2019, they received an award from the O2 Arena for their 12 headline shows at the venue. In 2022, Following the first of their two shows at Glasgow's OVO Hydro Arena, they were awarded a framed plaque to commemorate them becoming the band that has played the most dates and the group with the highest all-time ticket sales at the arena. According to Pollstar, they ranked at number 40 for tour earnings, female artists between 2000 and 2019. The group have earned a total of $94 million from all across their tours.


title: Little Mix

text: Little Mix have received a number of notable awards including three Brit Awards, six MTV Europe Music Awards, one iHeartRadio Music Award, six Global Music Awards, four Glamour Awards and one British LGBT Award. At the 2017 Brit Awards, they won their first ever Brit Award for Best British Single for "Shout Out to My Ex". In 2019 they won the fan-voted award for British Artist Video of the Year, making them the first girl group to win the award since the Spice Girls in 1997. At the 2021 Brit Awards, they became the first girl group to win the award for Best British Group. They are the act with the most wins for best UK & Ireland act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, winning five awards in total. In 2021 they were given the Women of the Year Gamechangers in Music award at the Glamour Awards.


title: Little Mix

text: The group have appeared on Debrett's 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK, the "Forbes" "30 Under 30" list in 2018, and the "Sunday Times" "Young Rich List" for four years from 2017 to 2021, with an estimated net worth of £66.7 million as of 2021. They have been described as one of the best girl groups of all time. They are one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, with sales of over 50 million records. Little Mix are one of the most streamed girl group's on Spotify and are the first girl group to have multiple albums reach over a billion combined streams on the platform. They hold the record for the most streamed girl group on Spotify. They are also the first girl group to reaxh hit 5, 6, and 7 billion streams on the platform. Their fourth studio album Glory Days, also holds the record for being the most streamed girl group and is the first album by a girl group to hit 2 billion streams. They once held the record for the most music videos to reach a 100 million views on YouTube before being surpassed by Korean girl group Twice, in 2021.


title: Little Mix

text: As of 2021, Little Mix has sold over 28 million singles in the UK and over 3.6 million albums. They have achieved 31 Top 40 singles, nineteen top ten singles, and five number one singles. The group's singles has charted for 630 weeks on the UK Singles Chart with their albums reaching 429 weeks. Little Mix has also amassed over 12 billion streams worldwide, including over 7 billion streams on YouTube. In 2020, it was reported by the Official Charts, that the group has amassed over 1.9 billion streams in the UK.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. He had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies.


title: Elliott Smith

text: After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994, with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars (KRS). In 1997, he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song "Miss Misery"—included in the soundtrack for the film "Good Will Hunting "(1997)—was nominated for the 1998 Academy Award for Best Original Song.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith was a heavy drinker and drug user, and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. His struggles with drugs and mental illness affected his life and work, and often appeared in his lyrics. In 2003, aged 34, he died in Los Angeles, California, from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence did not determine whether the wounds were self-inflicted. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, "From a Basement on the Hill", which was posthumously produced and released in 2004.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Steven Paul Smith was born on August 6th, 1969 at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Gary Smith, a student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Bunny Kay Berryman, an elementary school music teacher. His parents divorced when he was six months old, and Smith moved with his mother to Duncanville, Texas. Smith later had a tattoo of a map of Texas drawn on his upper arm and said: "I didn't get it because I like Texas, kind of the opposite. But I won't forget about it, although I'm tempted to because I don't like it there."


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith endured a difficult childhood and a troubled relationship with his stepfather Charlie Welch. Smith stated he may have been sexually abused by Welch at a young age, an allegation that Welch has denied. He wrote about this part of his life in "Some Song". The name "Charlie" also appears in songs "Flowers for Charlie" and "No Confidence Man." In a 2004 interview, Jennifer Chiba, Smith's partner at the time of his death, said that Smith's difficult childhood was partly why he needed to sedate himself with drugs as an adult: "He was remembering traumatic things from his childhood – parts of things. It's not my place to say what."


title: Elliott Smith

text: For much of his childhood, Smith's family was a part of the Community of Christ but began attending services at a local Methodist church. Smith felt that going to church did little for him, except make him "really scared of Hell". In 2001, he said: "I don't necessarily buy into any officially structured version of spirituality. But I have my own version of it."


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith began playing piano at age nine, and at ten began learning guitar on a small acoustic guitar bought for him by his father. At this age he composed an original piano piece, "Fantasy", which won him a prize at an arts festival. Many of the people on his mother's side of the family were non-professional musicians; his grandfather was a Dixieland drummer, and his grandmother sang in a glee club.


title: Elliott Smith

text: At fourteen, Smith left his mother's home in Texas and moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with his father, who was then working as a psychiatrist. It was around this time that Smith began using drugs, including alcohol, with friends. He also began experimenting with recording for the first time after borrowing a four-track recorder. At high school, Smith played clarinet in the school band and played guitar and piano; he also sang in the bands Stranger Than Fiction and A Murder of Crows, billed as either Steven Smith or "Johnny Panic". He graduated from Lincoln High School as a National Merit Scholar.


title: Elliott Smith

text: After graduation, Smith began calling himself "Elliott", saying that he thought "Steve" sounded too much like a "jock" name, and that "Steven" sounded "too bookish". According to friends, he had also used the pseudonym "Elliott Stillwater-Rotter" during his time in the band A Murder of Crows. Biographer S. R. Shutt speculates that the name was either inspired by Elliott Avenue, a street that Smith had lived on in Portland, or that it was suggested by his then-girlfriend. A junior high acquaintance of Smith speculates Smith changed his name so as not to be confused with Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey.


title: Elliott Smith

text: In 1991 Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to "Under the Radar" in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory".


title: Elliott Smith

text: While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums "Dead Air" (1993) and "Cop and Speeder" (1994) as well as the "Yellow No. 5" EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, "Mic City Sons" (1996).


title: Elliott Smith

text: Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant".


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of "Mic City Sons", prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, "XO".


title: Elliott Smith

text: In the early 1990s, Smith's girlfriend at the time convinced him to send a tape of songs he had recently recorded on a borrowed four-track to Cavity Search Records. Cavity owner Christopher Cooper asked to release the entire album of songs, which surprised Smith, as he was expecting only a deal for a seven-inch record. The album became Smith's release, "Roman Candle" (1994).


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith said: "I thought my head would be chopped off immediately when it came out because at the time it was so opposite to the grunge thing that was popular ... The thing is that album was really well received, which was a total shock, and it immediately eclipsed [Heatmiser], unfortunately." Smith felt his solo songs were not representative of the music Heatmiser was making: "The idea of playing [my music] for people didn't occur to me... because at the time it was the Northwest—Mudhoney and Nirvana—and going out to play an acoustic show was like crawling out on a limb and begging for it to be sawed off."


title: Elliott Smith

text: One of Smith's first solo performances was in Portland at the now-defunct Umbra Penumbra on September 17, 1994. Only three songs from "Roman Candle" were performed, with the majority of the ten-song set being B-sides, Heatmiser tunes and unreleased tracks. The same year, Smith released a split 7-inch record with Pete Krebs via Slo-Mo Records, contributing the track "No Confidence Man".


title: Elliott Smith

text: In 1995, Smith's self-titled album was released on Kill Rock Stars; the record featured a style of recording similar to "Roman Candle", but with hints of growth and experimentation. Though the majority of the album was recorded by Smith alone, friend and The Spinanes vocalist Rebecca Gates sang harmony vocals on "St. Ides Heaven", and Heatmiser guitarist Neil Gust played guitar on "Single File". Several songs made reference to drugs, but Smith explained that he used the theme of drugs as a vehicle for conveying dependence rather than the songs being about drugs specifically. Looking back, Smith felt that the album's pervasive mood gave him "a reputation for being a really dark, depressed person" and said that he later made a conscious move toward more diverse moods in his music.


title: Elliott Smith

text: In 1996, filmmaker Jem Cohen recorded Smith playing acoustic songs for the short film "Lucky Three: An Elliott Smith Portrait". Two of these songs would appear on his next album, "Either/Or", which was another Kill Rock Stars release. "Either/Or" came out in 1997 to favorable reviews. The album found Smith venturing further into full instrumentation, with several songs containing bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and electric guitars, all played by Smith. The album title was derived from the two-volume book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose works generally deal with themes such as existential despair, angst, death, and God.


title: Elliott Smith

text: By this time, Smith's already-heavy drinking was being compounded with use of antidepressants. At the end of the "Either/Or" tour, some of his close friends staged an intervention in Chicago, but it proved ineffective. Shortly after, Smith relocated from Portland to Jersey City, New Jersey, and later Brooklyn, New York.


title: Elliott Smith

text: In 1997, Smith was selected by director and fellow Portland resident Gus Van Sant to be a part of the soundtrack to his film, "Good Will Hunting". Smith recorded an orchestral version of "Between the Bars" with composer Danny Elfman for the movie. Smith also contributed a new song, "Miss Misery", and three previously released tracks ("No Name #3", from "Roman Candle", and "Angeles" and "Say Yes", from "Either/Or"). The film was a commercial and critical success, and Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for "Miss Misery". Not eager to step into the limelight, he agreed to perform the song at the ceremony only after the producers informed him that if he was unwilling to perform, they would choose someone else to play it.


title: Elliott Smith

text: On March 5, 1998, Smith made his network television debut on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" performing "Miss Misery" solo on acoustic guitar. A few days later, wearing a white suit, he played an abridged version of the song at the Academy Awards ceremony, accompanied by the house orchestra. James Horner and Will Jennings won for best song with "My Heart Will Go On" (sung by Celine Dion) from the film "Titanic". Smith did not voice disappointment about not winning. He described the experience as surreal, and said: "The Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play. I wouldn't want to live in that world, but it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day."


title: Elliott Smith

text: In 1998, after the success of "Either/Or" and "Miss Misery", Smith signed to a bigger record label, DreamWorks Records. Around the same time, Smith fell into depression, speaking openly of considering suicide, and on at least one occasion made a serious attempt at ending his own life. While in North Carolina, he became severely intoxicated and ran off a cliff. He landed on a tree, which badly impaled him but broke his fall. When questioned about his suicide attempt, he told an interviewer, "Yeah, I jumped off a cliff, but let's talk about something else."


title: Elliott Smith

text: Christopher Cooper, head of Cavity Search Records (which released "Roman Candle"), said about this time in Smith's life, "I talked him out of thinking that he wanted to kill himself numerous times when he was in Portland. I kept telling him that he was a brilliant man, and that life was worth living, and that people loved him." Pete Krebs also agreed: "In Portland we got the brunt of Elliott's initial depression... Lots of people have stories of their own experiences of staying up with Elliott 'til five in the morning, holding his hand, telling him not to kill himself."


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith's first release for DreamWorks was later that year. Titled "XO", it was conceived and developed while Smith wrote it out over the winter of 1997/1998, night after night seated at the bar in Luna Lounge. It was produced by the team of Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock. "XO" also contained some instrumentation from Los Angeles musicians Joey Waronker and Jon Brion. It contained a more full-sounding, baroque pop sound than any of his previous efforts, with songs featuring a horn section, Chamberlins, elaborate string arrangements, and even a drum loop on the song "Independence Day". His familiar double-tracked vocal and acoustic guitar style were still apparent while his somewhat personal lyrical style survived. The album went on to peak at number 104 on the "Billboard" 200 and number 123 on the UK Album Charts, while selling 400,000 copies (more than double that of each of his two Kill Rock Stars releases), becoming the best-selling release of his career. Smith's backing band during most of this period was the Portland-based group Quasi, consisting of former bandmate Sam Coomes on bass guitar and Coomes's ex-wife Janet Weiss on drums. Quasi also performed as the opening act at many shows on the tour, with Smith sometimes contributing bass guitar, guitar, or backing vocals. On October 17, 1998, Smith appeared on "Saturday Night Live" and performed "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". His backing band for this appearance was John Moen, Jon Brion, Rob Schnapf, and Sam Coomes.


title: Elliott Smith

text: In response to whether the change to a bigger record label would influence his creative control, Smith said, "I think despite the fact that sometimes people look at major labels as simply money-making machines, they're actually composed of individuals who are real people, and there's a part of them that needs to feel that part of their job is to put out good music." Smith also claimed in another interview that he never read his reviews for fear that they would interfere with his songwriting. It was during this period that Smith appeared on Dutch television in 1998 and provided a candid interview in which he spoke of his assessment of his music career until that point:


title: Elliott Smith

text: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I mostly only know things are different because people ask me different questions, but I don't feel like things are very changed. I mean, I still, I do the same things that I did before … I think about the same things, so … I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous.


title: Elliott Smith

text: As part of the Dutch television special, Smith played live versions of "Waltz No. 2 (XO)", "Miss Misery", and "I Didn't Understand"—the latter two songs were performed solely on piano, while the first song was cut short by Smith, as he explained: "I had to stop it because it's… you know, what's the point of playing a song badly? It'd be better to play it and mean it, than to just walk through it."


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1999, taking up residence at a cabin in the Silver Lake section of town, where he would regularly play intimate, acoustic shows at local venues like Silverlake Lounge. He also performed in Toronto in April that year. In the fall, his cover of the Beatles' "Because" was featured in the end credits of DreamWorks' Oscar-winning drama "American Beauty", and appeared on the film's soundtrack album.


title: Elliott Smith

text: The final album Smith completed, "Figure 8", was released on April 18, 2000. It featured the return of Rothrock, Schnapf, Brion, and Waronker and was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in England, with an obvious Beatles influence in the songwriting and production. The album garnered favorable reviews, and peaked at number 99 on the "Billboard" 200 and 37 on the UK Album Charts. The album received praise for its power pop style and complex arrangements, described as creating a "sweeping kaleidoscope of layered instruments and sonic textures". However, some reviewers felt that Smith's trademark dark and melancholy songwriting had lost some of its subtlety, with one reviewer likening some of the lyrics to "the self-pitying complaints of an adolescent venting in his diary".


title: Elliott Smith

text: Album art and promotional pictures from the period showed Smith looking cleaned-up and put-together. An extensive tour in promotion of the record ensued, book-ended by television appearances on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and the "Late Show with David Letterman". However, Smith's condition began to deteriorate as he had become addicted to heroin either towards the end of or just after the "Figure 8" tour.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Around the time he began recording his final album, Smith began to display signs of paranoia, often believing that a white van followed him wherever he went. He would have friends drop him off for recording sessions almost a mile away from the studio, and to reach the location, he would trudge through hundreds of yards of brush and cliffs. He started telling people that DreamWorks was out to get him: "Not long ago my house was broken into, and songs were stolen off my computer which have wound up in the hands of certain people who work at a certain label. I've also been followed around for months at a time. I wouldn't even want to necessarily say it's the people from that label who are following me around, but it was probably them who broke into my house." During this period, Smith hardly ate, subsisting primarily on ice cream. He would go without sleeping for several days and then sleep for an entire day.


title: Elliott Smith

text: A follow-up to Smith's 2000 album was originally planned to happen with Rob Schnapf, but their sessions were abandoned. Smith also began distancing himself from manager Margaret Mittleman, who had handled him since the "Roman Candle" days. He finally began recording a new album with only himself and Jon Brion as producers sometime during 2001. The pair had recorded a substantial amount of music for the album when Brion stopped the sessions because of Smith's struggle with substance use disorder. Their friendship promptly ended, and Smith scrapped all of their work until that point. He later said "There was even a little more than half of a record done before this new one that I just scrapped because of a blown friendship with someone that made me so depressed I didn't want to hear any of those songs. He was just helping me record the songs and stuff, and then the friendship kind of fell apart all of a sudden one day. It just made it kind of awkward being alone in the car listening to the songs."


title: Elliott Smith

text: When Brion sent a bill for the abandoned sessions to DreamWorks, executives Lenny Waronker and Luke Wood scheduled a meeting with Smith to determine what went wrong with the sessions. Smith complained of intrusion upon his personal life from the label, as well as poor promotion for the "Figure 8" album. The talks proved fruitless, and soon after, Smith sent a message to the executives, stating that if they did not release him from his contract, he would take his own life. In May 2001, Smith set out to re-record the album, mostly on his own, but with some help from David McConnell of Goldenboy. McConnell told "Spin" that, during this time, Smith would smoke over $1,500 worth of heroin and crack per day, would often talk about suicide, and on numerous occasions tried to give himself an overdose. Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips and Scott McPherson of Sense Field played a few drum tracks, Sam Coomes contributed some bass guitar and backing vocals, but almost every other instrument was recorded by Smith.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith's song "Needle in the Hay" was included in Wes Anderson's 2001 dark comedy film "The Royal Tenenbaums" during a suicide attempt scene. Smith was originally supposed to contribute a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the film, but when he failed to do so in time, Anderson had to use The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the track instead. Anderson would later say that Smith "was in a bad state" at the time.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith's live performances during 2001 and 2002 were infrequent, typically in the Pacific Northwest or Los Angeles. A review of his December 20, 2001, show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom expressed concern over his appearance and performance: his hair was uncharacteristically greasy and long, his face was bearded and gaunt, and during his songs he exhibited alarming signs of "memory-loss and butterfingers". At another performance in San Francisco that month, the audience began shouting out lyrics when Smith could not remember them.


title: Elliott Smith

text: In the first of only three concerts performed in 2002, Smith co-headlined Northwestern University's A&O Ball with Wilco on May 2 in Chicago. He was onstage for nearly an hour but failed to complete half of the songs. He claimed that his poor performance was due to his left hand having fallen asleep and told the audience it felt "like having stuff on your hand and you can't get it off". Smith's performance was reviewed as "undoubtedly one of the worst performances ever by a musician" and an "excruciating […] nightmare". A reporter for the online magazine "Glorious Noise" wrote, "It would not surprise me at all if Elliott Smith ends up dead within a year."


title: Elliott Smith

text: On November 25, 2002, Smith was involved in a brawl with the Los Angeles Police Department at a concert where The Flaming Lips and Beck were performing. Smith later said he was defending a man he thought the police were harassing. The officers allegedly beat and arrested him and girlfriend Jennifer Chiba. The two spent the night in jail. Smith's back was injured in the incident, causing him to cancel a number of shows. Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips and a friend of Smith's, stated concern over Smith's appearance and actions, saying that he "saw a guy who had lost control of himself. He was needy, he was grumpy, he was everything you wouldn't want in a person. It's not like when you think of Keith Richards being pleasantly blissed out in the corner."


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith had attempted to go to rehab several times, but found that he was unable to relate to the popular treatments for people with substance use disorder that used a twelve-step program basis for treatment. "I couldn't do the first step […] I couldn't say what you were supposed to say and mean it." In 2002, Smith went to the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in Beverly Hills to start a course of treatment for substance use disorder. In one of his final interviews, he spoke about the center, "What they do is an IV treatment where they put a needle in your arm, and you're on a drip bag, but the only thing that's in the drip bag is amino acids and saline solution. I was coming off of a lot of psych meds and other things. I was even on an antipsychotic, although I'm not psychotic."


title: Elliott Smith

text: Two sold-out solo acoustic concerts at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, on January 31 and February 1, 2003, saw Smith attempting to reestablish his credibility as a live performer. Before the show, Smith scrawled "Kali – The Destroyer" (the Hindu goddess associated with time and change) in large block letters with permanent ink on his left arm, which was visible to the crowd during the performance. On several songs, he was backed by a stripped-down drum kit played by Robin Peringer (of the band 764-HERO), and members of opening band Rilo Kiley contributed backing vocals to one song. Near the end of the first show, the musician responded for several minutes after a heckler yelled "Get a backbone." Smith played two more Los Angeles concerts during 2003, including The Derby in May and the "L.A. Weekly" Music Awards in June.


title: Elliott Smith

text: After his 34th birthday on August 6, 2003, he gave up alcohol. Director Mike Mills had been working with Smith during his final years and described Smith's troubles and apparent recovery: "I gave the script to him, then he dropped off the face of the earth […] he went through his whole crazy time, but by the time I was done with the film, he was making "From a Basement on the Hill" and I was shocked that he was actually making music."


title: Elliott Smith

text: With things improving for Smith after several troubled years, he began experimenting with noise music and worked on his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba's iMac with the intent of learning how to record with computers, noting that it was the only method with which he was still unfamiliar. Smith jokingly labeled his experimental way of recording "The California Frown" (a play on the Beach Boys' "California Sound"). He said of the songs, "They're kind of more noisy with the pitch all distorted. Some are more acoustic, but there aren't too many like that. Lately I've just been making up a lot of noise."


title: Elliott Smith

text: He was also in the process of recording songs for the "Thumbsucker" soundtrack, including Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens's "Trouble". In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze Records put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Smith had been playing since the "Figure 8" tour. Smith's final show was at Redfest at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on September 19, 2003. The final song he played live was "Long, Long, Long" by the Beatles.


title: Elliott Smith

text: "From a Basement on the Hill", almost four years in production, was released on October 19, 2004, by ANTI- Records (a part of Epitaph Records). With Smith's family in control of his estate, they chose to bring in Rob Schnapf and Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme to sort through the recordings and mix the album. Although Smith had voiced his desire for it to be a double album or a regular album with a bonus disc, it was not clear whether it would have been possible for him to release it that way had he completed it. As completed by Schnapf and Bolme, it was released as a 15-track single album. Many songs from the sessions (later leaked onto the Internet) were not included, such as "True Love", "Everything's OK", "Stickman", and "Suicide Machine" (a reworking of the "Figure 8"-era unreleased instrumental "Tiny Time Machine"). There has been unconfirmed speculation that Smith's family made the decision not to include some songs on the record due to their lyrical content, although songs such as "King's Crossing" that deal with darker subjects did make the album.


title: Elliott Smith

text: "Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing", a biography by Benjamin Nugent, was rushed to publication shortly after "From a Basement on the Hill", shortly after the first anniversary of his death. Smith's family, as well as Joanna Bolme, Jennifer Chiba, Neil Gust, Sam Coomes, and Janet Weiss, all declined to be interviewed. It contained interviews with Rob Schnapf, David McConnell, and Pete Krebs. The book received mixed reviews, with "Publishers Weekly" remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight".


title: Elliott Smith

text: In 2005, a tribute album, "A Tribute to Elliott Smith", was released. It featured various bands performing tributes to Smith. On May 8, 2007, a posthumous compilation album, "New Moon," was released by Kill Rock Stars. It contained 24 songs recorded by Smith between 1994 and 1997 during his tenure with the label, songs that were not included on albums, as well as a few early versions and previously released B-sides. In the United States, the album debuted at number 24 on the "Billboard" 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. The record received favorable reviews and was Metacritic's 15th best-reviewed album of 2007. A portion of the proceeds from album sales were to go to Outside In, a social service agency for low-income adults and homeless youth in Portland, Oregon.


title: Elliott Smith

text: On October 25, 2007, a book titled "Elliott Smith" was released by Autumn de Wilde, which consists of photographs, handwritten lyrics, and "revealing talks with Smith's inner circle". De Wilde was responsible for the "Figure 8" sleeve art, making a landmark and de facto Smith memorial of the Solutions Audio mural. A five-song CD featuring previously unreleased live recordings of Smith performing acoustically at Largo in Los Angeles was included in the release.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Following Smith's death, his estate licensed his songs for use in film and television projects such as "One Tree Hill", "The Girl Next Door", "Georgia Rule", and "Paranoid Park". In a March 2009 interview, Larry Crane said that Smith's estate was defunct and all rights previously held by Smith are now in the control of his parents. Crane went on to say that his parents own the rights to Smith's high school recordings, some of the Heatmiser material, all solo songs recorded until his 1998 record deal with DreamWorks Records, and "From a Basement on the Hill". DreamWorks Records was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2003, and Interscope Records currently "owns all studio and live recording from Jan 1998 to his passing, except for the songs on "From a Basement on the Hill"."


title: Elliott Smith

text: In December 2009, Kill Rock Stars announced that it had obtained the rights to re-release "Roman Candle" and "From a Basement on the Hill", originally released by Cavity Search and ANTI-, respectively. "Roman Candle" would be remastered by Larry Crane. Along with the press release, Kill Rock Stars posted a previously unreleased track of Smith's, titled "Cecilia/Amanda", as a free download. "Roman Candle" and "From a Basement on the Hill" were re-released on April 6, 2010, in the US.


title: Elliott Smith

text: A greatest hits compilation titled "An Introduction to... Elliott Smith" was released in November 2010 by Domino Records (UK) and Kill Rock Stars (US).


title: Elliott Smith

text: In August 2013, there was a memorial concert in Portland, Oregon and three other cities. Attending the Portland show were several musicians Smith had performed with, friends, and an appearance by film director Gus Van Sant.


title: Elliott Smith

text: In 2014, the director Paul Thomas Anderson posted a video of the pilot episode for a show called "The Jon Brion Show", featuring an acoustic set by Smith including accompaniment by Brion and pianist Brad Mehldau.


title: Elliott Smith

text: On July 17, 2015, a documentary about Smith's life titled "Heaven Adores You" saw a limited theatrical release. The documentary enlisted a number of close friends and family members, as well as hours of audio interviews throughout Smith's short career. The film was directed by Nickolas Rossi and released through Eagle Rock Entertainment. "Heaven Adores You" received positive reviews from Consequence of Sound, "The Guardian", and "The Hollywood Reporter".


title: Elliott Smith

text: On August 6, 2019 (what would have been Smith's 50th birthday), UMe released digital deluxe editions of the two albums "XO" and "Figure 8." The new edition of "XO" has nine added tracks, including Smith's Oscar-nominated "Good Will Hunting" song "Miss Misery." Seven tracks have been added to "Figure 8". The digital deluxe edition includes "Figure 8"—Smith's cover of the "Schoolhouse Rock!" song—which was originally released only on the Japanese edition of the album. The final track on the new "Figure 8" edition is Smith's cover of the Beatles’ "Because", originally featured on the 1999 "American Beauty" soundtrack. In May 2021, Smith's life and work were the subject of BBC Radio 4's "Great Lives".


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith died on October 21, 2003, at the age of 34 from two stab wounds to the chest. At the time of the stabbing, he was at his Lemoyne Street home in Echo Park, California, where he lived with his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba. According to Chiba, the two were arguing, and she locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower. Chiba heard him scream and upon opening the door saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out, after which he collapsed and she called 9-1-1 at 12:18 pm. Smith died in the hospital, with the time of death listed as 1:36 p.m. A possible suicide note, written on a sticky note, read: "I'm so sorry—love, Elliot. God forgive me." The coroner misspelled Smith's first name in the autopsy report, omitting the second 't'. While Smith's death was reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of homicide.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith's remains were cremated, and his ashes were divided between his mother, father, and half-sister Ashley. A small memorial service for family and friends was held at his father's home in Portland, although Smith's "ashes weren't on hand because the coroner wouldn't release them." The status or location of Smith's ashes has not been made public.


title: Elliott Smith

text: According to "Pitchfork", record producer Larry Crane reported on his Tape Op message board that he had planned to help Smith mix his album in mid-November. Crane wrote, "I hadn't talked to Elliott in over a year. His girlfriend, Jennifer, called me [last week] and asked if I'd like to come to L.A. and help mix and finish [Smith's album]. I said 'yes, of course', and chatted with Elliott for the first time in ages. It seems surreal that he would call me to finish an album and then a week later kill himself. I talked to Jennifer this morning, who was obviously shattered and in tears, and she said, 'I don't understand, he was so healthy. The coroner reported that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in Smith's system at the time of his death but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and ADHD medications, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomoxetine, and amphetamine. There were no hesitation wounds, which are typically found on a victim of suicide by self-infliction. Due to the inconclusive autopsy ruling, the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Shortly after Smith's death, a fan memorial was initiated outside Solutions Audio (4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California), the site at which the cover of the "Figure 8" album was shot. Farewell messages to Smith were written on the wall, and flowers, photos, candles, and empty bottles of alcohol mentioned in Smith's songs were left. Since then, the wall has been a regular target for graffiti but is regularly restored by fans.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Memorial concerts were held in several cities in the United States and the United Kingdom. A petition was soon put forth with intent to make part of the Silver Lake area a memorial park in Smith's honor. It received over 10,000 signatures, but no plans to establish the park have been announced. A memorial plaque located inside Smith's former high school, Lincoln High, was hung in July 2006. The plaque reads: "I'm never going to know you now, but I'm going to love you anyhow" referencing Smith's song "Waltz No. 2 (XO)".


title: Elliott Smith

text: Since Smith's death, many musical acts have paid him tribute. Songs in tribute to, or about, Smith have been released by Pearl Jam ("Can't Keep" on the "Live at Benaroya Hall" concert album); Sparta ("Bombs and Us"); Third Eye Blind ("There's No Hurry to Eternity", originally titled "Elliott Smith", on the "Live from Nowhere Near You, Volume Two: Pacific Northwest" compilation); 9 Horses (“listening to the Elliott Smith discography in reverse order”, on the album "Perfectest Herald"); Ben Folds ("Late" on "Songs for Silverman"); Brad Mehldau ("Sky Turning Grey (for Elliott Smith)" on "Highway Rider"); Rilo Kiley ("It Just Is", and "Ripchord" from the album "More Adventurous"); Lil B's 'The Worlds Ending'; Rhett Miller ("The Believer" on "The Believer"); Earlimart ("Heaven Adores You" on "Treble and Tremble"); Joan As Police Woman ("We Don't Own It" on "Real Life");; Phoebe Bridgers ("Punisher" on "Punisher"); and Pete Yorn ("Bandstand in the Sky" on "Nightcrawler", a song jointly dedicated to Jeff Buckley). Several tribute albums have also been released since his death, including Christopher O'Riley's 2006 "", with 18 instrumental covers, The Portland Cello Project's 2014 "to e.s.", covering six of his songs, Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield's 2015 "Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith," with 12 covers incorporating Smith's musical style and their own, and To Elliott, from Portland containing covers by a number of Portland bands.


title: Elliott Smith

text: On July 30, 2004, Chiba filed a lawsuit against the Smith family for 15% of his earnings (over $1 million), claiming that she and Smith lived as "husband and wife", that Smith had pledged to take care of her financially for the rest of her life, and that she worked as his manager and agent from around 2000 until his death. A state labor commissioner ruled her claim as manager to be invalid, as she had worked as an "unlicensed talent agent" under California's Talent Agencies Act. The case made it to the California appellate court in October 2007, but the decision was affirmed 2–1.


title: Elliott Smith

text: In an October 2013 "Spin" magazine article—a reflection at the ten-year anniversary of Smith's death—drummer McPherson stated that Smith was "a sick man without his medicine" during the last 31 days of his life, when he was not only sober, but had also given up red meat and sugar. In the same article, Chiba recalls thinking, "Okay, you're asking a lot of yourself. You're giving up a lot at once." Chiba further explained that "anyone who understands drug abuse knows that you use drugs to hide from your past or sedate yourself from strong, overwhelming feelings. So when you're newly clean and coming off the medications that have been masking all those feelings, that's when you're the most vulnerable." Writing for "Spin", Liam Gowing also encountered a local musician who claimed Smith had said to him: "The people who try to intervene, they're good people who genuinely care about you. But they don't know what you're going through. Do what you need to do." According to the musician, Smith had adamantly dissuaded him from suicide.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith respected and was inspired by many artists and styles, including the Beatles, Big Star, the Clash, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Rush, Bauhaus, Elvis Costello, Oasis, Television, Motown and flamenco records, AC/DC, Hank Williams, and Scorpions, Smith claimed to listen exclusively to selected albums (such as "The Marble Index" by Nico) for months. Sean Croghan, a former roommate of Smith's, said that Smith "listened almost exclusively to slow jams" in his senior year at college. Smith also took inspiration from novels, religion, and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot, and Russian novelists such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith mentioned his admiration for Bob Dylan in several interviews, citing him as an early influence. He once commented: "My father taught me how to play 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. I love Dylan's words, but even more than that, I love the fact that he loves words." Smith covered Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" several times in concert. Smith has also been compared to folk singer Nick Drake, due to his fingerpicking style and vocals. Darryl Cater of AllMusic called references to "the definitive folk loner" Drake "inevitable", and Smith's lyrics have been compared to those in Drake's minimalist and haunting final album.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles (as well as their solo projects), once noting that he had been listening to them frequently since he was about "four years old" and also claimed that hearing "The White Album" was his original inspiration to become a musician. In 1998, Smith contributed a cover of the Beatles song "Because" to the closing credits and soundtrack of the film "American Beauty". Although this was the only Beatles song that Smith ever officially released, he is known to have recorded many others, ("Revolution", "I'll Be Back" and "I'm So Tired") and played many songs by both the band and the members' solo projects at live concerts.


title: Elliott Smith

text: Smith said that transitions were his favorite part of songs and that he preferred to write broader, more impressionistic music closer to pop rather than folk music. Smith compared his songs to stories or dreams, not purely confessional pieces that people could relate to. When asked about the dark nature of his songwriting and the cult following he was gaining, Smith said he felt it was merely a product of his writing songs that were strongly meaningful to him rather than anything contrived. Larry Crane, Smith's posthumous archivist, has said that he was surprised at the amount of "recycling of musical ideas" he encountered while cataloging Smith's private tapes: "I found songs recorded in high school reworked 15 years on. Lyrics became more important to him as he became older, and more time was spent working on them."


title: Elliott Smith

text: Since his death, Smith has been regarded as one of the most influential artists in indie music. Many artists have mentioned Smith as their influence, such as Frank Ocean, Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Haim's lead vocalist Danielle Haim.


title: Karl Glusman

text: Karl Glusman (born January 3, 1988) is an American actor. He had a lead role in Gaspar Noé’s controversial pornographical drama "Love" (2015) and appeared in "The Neon Demon" (2016) and "Nocturnal Animals" (2016).


title: Karl Glusman

text: Glusman was born in The Bronx, New York City. His family moved to the Portland, Oregon area when he was six months old. His father is German-Jewish and his mother is Irish Catholic. He also has French, Finnish, German, Spanish and Swedish ancestry. He attended Lake Oswego High School and then enrolled at Portland State University, but dropped out after a year. Aspiring to be an actor, he took acting courses while in college and at the Portland Actors Conservatory. He later attended the William Esper Studio in New York City.


title: Karl Glusman

text: After shooting a television commercial for Adidas, Glusman relocated to France. There Argentine-French film director Gaspar Noé cast Glusman in "Love", a film depicting extensive unsimulated sex. It debuted at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The premier set a record for the festival, selling all 2,200 seats in the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. In Cannes, Glusman met film director and fashion designer Tom Ford, who cast him in "Nocturnal Animals" (2016). Also in 2016, Glusman appeared in Nicolas Winding Refn's thriller "The Neon Demon". In 2020 he appeared alongside Tom Hanks in Aaron Schneider's "Greyhound".


title: Karl Glusman

text: In 2016, Glusman began a relationship with actress Zoë Kravitz. Kravitz revealed in an interview published in October 2018 that she had become engaged in February of that year. They were married June 29, 2019 at the Paris, France, home of Kravitz's father, musician Lenny Kravitz. Kravitz filed for divorce on December 23, 2020, after 18 months of marriage. The divorce was finalized in August 2021.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Dennis Andrew Nilsen (23 November 1945 – 12 May 2018) was a Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983 in London. Convicted at the Old Bailey of six counts of murder and two of attempted murder, Nilsen was sentenced to life imprisonment on 4 November 1983, with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 25 years. This recommendation was later changed to a whole life tariff in December 1994. In his later years, Nilsen was imprisoned at Full Sutton maximum security prison.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: All of Nilsen's murders were committed at the two North London addresses where he lived between 1978 and 1983. His victims would be lured to these addresses through deception and killed by strangulation, sometimes accompanied by drowning. Following each murder, Nilsen would observe a ritual in which he bathed and dressed the victim's body, which he retained for extended periods of time, before dissecting and disposing of the remains by burning them in a bonfire or flushing them down a toilet.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Nilsen became known as the Muswell Hill Murderer, as he committed his later murders in the Muswell Hill district of North London. He died at York Hospital on 12 May 2018 of a pulmonary embolism and a retroperitoneal haemorrhage, which occurred following surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Dennis Andrew Nilsen was born on 23 November 1945 in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, the second of three children born to Elizabeth Duthie Whyte and Olav Magnus Moksheim (who had adopted the surname Nilsen). Moksheim was a Norwegian soldier who had travelled to Scotland in 1940 as part of the Free Norwegian Forces following the German occupation of Norway. After a brief courtship he married Elizabeth Whyte in May 1942. The newlyweds moved into her parents' house.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: The marriage between Nilsen's parents was difficult. Olav Nilsen did not view married life with any seriousness, being preoccupied with his duties with the Free Norwegian Forces, and making little attempt to spend much time with or find a new home for his wife. After the birth of her third child, Nilsen's mother concluded she had "rushed into marriage without thinking". The couple divorced in 1948. All three of the couple's children—Olav Jr., Dennis and Sylvia—had been conceived on their father's brief visits to their mother's household. Her parents, Andrew and Lily (née Duthie) Whyte—who had never approved of their daughter's choice of husband—were supportive of their daughter following her divorce and considerate of their grandchildren.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Nilsen was a quiet yet adventurous child. His earliest childhood memories were of family picnics in the Scottish countryside with his mother and siblings, of his grandparents' pious lifestyle (which he later described as "cold and dour"), and of being taken on long countryside walks carried on the shoulders of his maternal grandfather, to whom he was particularly close. Olav Jr. and Sylvia occasionally accompanied Dennis and his grandfather on these walks. Despite only being five years old, Nilsen vividly recalled these walks as being "very long ... along the harbour, across the wide stretch of beach, up to the sand-dunes, which rise thirty feet behind the beach ... and on to Inverallochy". He later described this stage of his childhood as one of contentment, and his grandfather being his "great hero and protector", adding that whenever his grandfather (who was a fisherman) was at sea, "Life would be empty [for me] until he returned."


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: By 1951, Nilsen's grandfather's health was in decline, but he continued to work. On 31 October 1951, while fishing in the North Sea, he died of a heart attack at the age of 62. His body was brought ashore and returned to the Whyte family home prior to burial. In what Nilsen later described as his most vivid childhood recollection, his mother, weeping, asked him whether he wanted to see his grandfather. When he replied that he did, he was taken into the room where his grandfather lay in an open coffin. As Nilsen gazed upon the body, his mother told him his grandfather was sleeping, adding that he had "gone to a better place".


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: In the years following the death of his grandfather, Nilsen became more quiet and withdrawn, often standing alone at the harbour watching the herring boats. At home, he seldom participated in family activities and retreated from any attempts by adult family members to demonstrate any affection towards him. Nilsen grew to resent what he saw as the unfair amount of attention his mother, grandmother and later, stepfather displayed towards his older brother and younger sister. Nilsen envied Olav Jr.'s popularity. He often talked to or played games with his younger sister, Sylvia, to whom he was closer than any other family member.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: On one of his solo excursions to the beach at Inverallochy, in 1954 or 1955, Nilsen became submerged beneath the water and was almost dragged out to sea. He initially panicked, flailing his arms and shouting. As he "gasped for air which wasn't there" he recalled believing that his grandfather was about to arrive and pull him out, before experiencing a sense of tranquility. His life was saved by another youth who dragged him ashore. Shortly after this incident, Nilsen's mother moved out of his grandparents' home and into a flat with her three children. She later married a builder named Andrew Scott, with whom she had four more children in as many years. Although Nilsen initially resented his stepfather (whom he viewed as an unfair disciplinarian) he gradually came to grudgingly respect him. The family moved to Strichen in 1955.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: At the onset of puberty, Nilsen discovered he was gay, which initially confused and shamed him. He kept his sexuality hidden from his family and his few friends. Because many of the boys to whom he was attracted had facial features similar to those of his younger sister, Sylvia, on one occasion he sexually fondled her, believing that his attraction towards boys might be a manifestation of the care he felt for her. Nilsen made no efforts to seek sexual contact with any of the peers to whom he was sexually attracted, although he later said he had been fondled by an older youth and did not find the experience unpleasant. On one occasion, he also caressed and fondled the body of his older brother as he slept. As a result of this, Olav Jr. began to suspect his brother was gay and regularly belittled him in public—referring to Dennis as "hen" (Scottish dialect for "girl"). Nilsen initially believed that his fondling of his sister may have been evidence that he was bisexual.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: As Nilsen progressed into adolescence, he found life in Strichen increasingly stifling, with limited entertainment amenities or career opportunities. He respected his parents' efforts to provide and care for their children, but began to resent the fact that his family was poorer than most of his peers, with his mother and stepfather making no effort to better their lifestyles; thus, Nilsen seldom invited his friends to the family home. At the age of 14, he joined the Army Cadet Force, viewing the British Army as a potential avenue for escaping his rural origins.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Nilsen's scholastic record was above average. He displayed a flair for history and art, but shunned sports. He finished his schooling in 1961 and briefly worked in a canning factory as he considered which career path he should choose. After three weeks at the factory, Nilsen informed his mother that he intended to join the army, where he intended to train as a chef. Nilsen passed the entrance examinations and received official notification he was to enlist for nine years' service in September 1961, commencing his training with the Army Catering Corps at St. Omer Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire. Within weeks, Nilsen began to excel in his army duties; he later described his three years of training at Aldershot as "the happiest of my life". He relished the travel opportunities afforded him in his training, and recalled as a highlight his regiment taking part in a ceremonial parade attended by both the Queen and Field Marshal Lord Montgomery of Alamein.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: While stationed at Aldershot, Nilsen's latent feelings began to stir, but he kept his sexual orientation well hidden from his colleagues. Nilsen never showered in the company of his fellow soldiers for fear of developing an erection in their presence; instead opting to bathe alone in the bathroom, which also afforded him the privacy to masturbate without discovery.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: In mid-1964, Nilsen passed his initial catering exam and was officially assigned to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers in Osnabrück, West Germany, where he served as a private. In this deployment, Nilsen began to increase his intake of alcohol. He described himself and his colleagues as a "hard-working, boozy lot"; his colleagues recalled he often drank to excess in order to ease his shyness. On one occasion, Nilsen and a German youth drank themselves into a stupor. When Nilsen awoke, he found himself on the floor of the German youth's flat. No sexual activity had occurred, but this incident fuelled Nilsen's sexual fantasies, which initially involved his sexual partner—invariably a young, slender male—being completely passive. These fantasies gradually evolved into his partner being unconscious or dead. On several occasions, Nilsen also made tentative efforts to have his own prone body sexually interfered with by one of his colleagues. In these instances, whenever he and his colleagues drank to excess, Nilsen would pretend he was inebriated in the hope one of his colleagues would make sexual use of his supposedly unconscious body.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Following two years of service in Osnabrück, Nilsen returned to Aldershot, where he passed his official catering exam before being deployed to serve as a cook for the British Army in Norway. In 1967, he was deployed to the State of Aden (formerly Aden Colony), where he again served as a cook at the Al Mansoura Prison. This posting was more dangerous than his previous postings in West Germany or Norway, and Nilsen later recalled his regiment losing several men, often in ambushes en route to the army barracks. Nilsen was kidnapped by an Arab taxi driver, who beat him unconscious and placed him in the boot of his car. Upon being dragged out of the boot of the taxi, Nilsen grabbed a jack-handle and knocked the taxi driver to the ground before beating him unconscious. He then locked the man in the boot of the taxi.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Unlike his previous postings, Nilsen had his own room while stationed in Aden. This afforded him the privacy to masturbate without discovery. His developed fantasies of sex with an unresistant or deceased partner unfulfilled, Nilsen compensated by imagining sexual encounters with an unconscious body as he masturbated while looking at his own prone, nude body in a mirror. On one occasion, Nilsen discovered that, by using a free-standing mirror, he could create an effect whereby if positioning the mirror so his head was out of view, he could visualise himself engaged in a sexual act with another man. To Nilsen, this ruse created the ideal circumstance in which he could visually "split" his personality: in these masturbatory fantasies, Nilsen alternately envisaged himself as being both the domineering and the passive partner. These fantasies gradually evolved to incorporate his own near-death experience with the Arab taxi driver, the dead bodies he had seen in Aden, and imagery within a 19th-century oil painting entitled "The Raft of the Medusa", which depicts an old man holding the limp, nude body of a dead youth as he sits aside the dismembered body of another young male. In Nilsen's most vividly recalled fantasy, a slender, attractive young blond soldier who had been recently killed in battle is dominated by a faceless "dirty, grey-haired old man" who washed this body before engaging in intercourse with the spreadeagled corpse.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: When Nilsen completed his deployment in Aden he returned to the UK and was assigned to serve with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Seaton Barracks in Plymouth, Devon. Throughout his service with this regiment, he was required to cook for thirty soldiers and two officers on a daily basis. Nilsen served at these barracks for one year before being transferred with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to Cyprus in 1969. Months later, the regiment was transferred to West Berlin, where, the same year, Nilsen had his first sexual experience with a female: a prostitute whose services he solicited. He bragged of this sexual encounter to his colleagues, but later stated he found intercourse with a female both "over-rated" and "depressing".


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Following a brief period with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Inverness, Nilsen was selected to cook for the Queen's Royal Guard before, in January 1971, being reassigned to serve as a cook for a different regiment in the Shetland Islands, where he ended his 11-year military career at the rank of corporal in October 1972.


title: Dennis Nilsen

text: Between October and December 1972, Nilsen lived with his family as he considered his next career move. On more than one occasion in the three months Nilsen lived in Strichen, his mother voiced her opinion as to her being more concerned with his lack of female companionship than his career path, and of her desire to see him marry and start a family. On one occasion, Nilsen joined his older brother Olav Jr., his sister-in-law, and another couple to watch a documentary about gay men. All present viewed the topic with derision, except Nilsen, who ardently spoke in defence of gay rights. A fight ensued, after which Olav Jr. informed his mother that Dennis was gay. Nilsen never spoke to his older brother again, and maintained only sporadic written contact with his mother, stepfather and younger siblings. He decided to join the Metropolitan Police, and moved to London in December to begin the training course.