Neon Hitch
Encyclopedia
Neon Hitch is a British singer and songwriter. She was signed to Mike Skinner and Ted Mayhem
's label, The Beats, before it closed down. She was later discovered on MySpace by Benny Blanco who flew her to New York to work with him. Their work together earned her a music publishing deal with EMI and a record deal with Warner Bros. Records.
documentary. At age ten, she began writing poetry which led to her writing lyrics. Her boyfriend noticed that she could sing and encouraged her to hone her singing. She left home at sixteen to live in India for a few years before settling in London for her music career.
's daughter, Hitch met Cherry and her husband, Cameron. He told her to cut a demo, after discussing Hitch's interest in pursuing a music career. Hitch then found a producer in Stage magazine to record a demo, with which Cameron got Hitch signed to 679 Recordings
, the label that The Streets was on. After singing on several tracks for Greensleeves Records
, Hitch was signed to Mike Skinner
's label The Beats, later going on tour with him. She also toured with Professor Green
and opened for 50 Cent
at the Nottingham Arena before The Beats closed in 2007. Soon after, Hitch was flown stateside by James Johnson, owner of Pilot Creative Services Inc, who asked her to go to New York to meet with him and his client, songwriter Benny Blanco
, on MySpace
. She was homeless at the time, occasionally checking her MySpace account at friends' houses, and could not afford the plane ticket to meet him. A little over a year later, she signed James and Pilot as her management and quickly landed a publishing deal with EMI
. Within the next year she co-wrote and sang background vocals for pop punk band Friday Night Boys' song "Stupid Love Letter", Kesha
's "Blah Blah Blah
" and 3OH!3
's "Follow Me Down
" from the Almost Alice
soundtrack. She was also featured on Benny Blanco's remix of Miike Snow
's song "Burial". Another feature song is 'What's Urban' with WanCee. In early 2010, she was signed to Warner Bros. Records
by Kara Dioguardi
after a writing session between the two. Hitch later performed at Lollapalooza
in the summer. She also co-wrote "Traces" by Sky Ferreira
.
, for free in January 2011. She also released a series of covers and mash-up covers of songs by other artists. Her official first single, "Bad Dog" was released in July.
, Sia
, Kate Bush
, Madonna
, Michael Jackson
, Jay Thomas
, Spice Girls
, Daniel Johnston
, Nelly Furtado
, Miike Snow
, Amadou & Mariam
, Erykah Badu
and The Police
as influences.
| 2010
! scope="row" | "Follow Me Down
" (3OH!3
featuring Neon Hitch)
| 19
| Almost Alice
|}
Ted Mayhem
Ted Mayhem is a hip hop vocalist and record label boss from London, England. He is the main voice of Beat Stevie.Mayhem was Mike Skinner's partner in his record label The Beats and also his television show Beat Stevie which he co-presents with Skinner on Channel 4...
's label, The Beats, before it closed down. She was later discovered on MySpace by Benny Blanco who flew her to New York to work with him. Their work together earned her a music publishing deal with EMI and a record deal with Warner Bros. Records.
Childhood and youth
Hitch was born in the south England countryside in London. For a time being, she was resentful towards her parents for giving her the birth name, Neon, wanting to change her name to a more conventional name, such as Melanie. Her father was a lighting technician. Her mother bought a caravan to live in when their house burned down. They then began street performing, making and selling jewelry and clothing around Europe. As a result, she never attended school as they did not stay in one location for prolonged periods of time. By age four, she was traveling and performing with the Archaos circus. She trained as a trapeze artist, fire swinger and stilt walker and had performed all over Europe by the time she was a teen. Her family was featured in a BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary. At age ten, she began writing poetry which led to her writing lyrics. Her boyfriend noticed that she could sing and encouraged her to hone her singing. She left home at sixteen to live in India for a few years before settling in London for her music career.
Career beginnings: 2007-2010
Through Neneh CherryNeneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
's daughter, Hitch met Cherry and her husband, Cameron. He told her to cut a demo, after discussing Hitch's interest in pursuing a music career. Hitch then found a producer in Stage magazine to record a demo, with which Cameron got Hitch signed to 679 Recordings
679 Recordings
679 Artists is a Warner Music Group-owned record label based in London, England....
, the label that The Streets was on. After singing on several tracks for Greensleeves Records
Greensleeves Records
Greensleeves Records & Publishing is a record label specialising in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick and started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975 and is based in Britain....
, Hitch was signed to Mike Skinner
The Streets
The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
's label The Beats, later going on tour with him. She also toured with Professor Green
Professor Green
Professor Green , better known by his stage name Professor Green, is a British rapper. He was signed to The Beats, a record label run by Mike Skinner and Ted Mayhem, until 12 February 2008, as the label went under. He won the inaugural JumpOff MySpace £50,000 battle rap tournament in July 2008...
and opened for 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
at the Nottingham Arena before The Beats closed in 2007. Soon after, Hitch was flown stateside by James Johnson, owner of Pilot Creative Services Inc, who asked her to go to New York to meet with him and his client, songwriter Benny Blanco
Benny Blanco
Benjamin Levin , better known as Benny Blanco, is an American songwriter and producer from Reston, Virginia. He first came to the attention of Internet blogosphere producing a collaborative EP with Spank Rock. Working with producer Dr...
, on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. She was homeless at the time, occasionally checking her MySpace account at friends' houses, and could not afford the plane ticket to meet him. A little over a year later, she signed James and Pilot as her management and quickly landed a publishing deal with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. Within the next year she co-wrote and sang background vocals for pop punk band Friday Night Boys' song "Stupid Love Letter", Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
's "Blah Blah Blah
Blah Blah Blah (song)
"Blah Blah Blah" is a song by American recording artist Kesha from her debut album, Animal. Produced by Benny Blanco, and co-written by Kesha, Blanco, Neon Hitch and Sean Foreman, it was released as the album's second single on February 19, 2010, and features 3OH!3...
" and 3OH!3
3OH!3
3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100...
's "Follow Me Down
Follow Me Down
"Follow Me Down" is a song by American group 3OH!3 featuring English artist Neon Hitch.- Chart performance :It debuted at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #36 on the Canadian Hot 100, and has since re-entered at #89 on the Hot 100...
" from the Almost Alice
Almost Alice
-Charts:-References:...
soundtrack. She was also featured on Benny Blanco's remix of Miike Snow
Miike Snow
Miike Snow is a Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. The band consists of producing team Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg and Andrew Wyatt.-Early years:Miike Snow was formed in 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden....
's song "Burial". Another feature song is 'What's Urban' with WanCee. In early 2010, she was signed to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
by Kara Dioguardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
after a writing session between the two. Hitch later performed at Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
in the summer. She also co-wrote "Traces" by Sky Ferreira
Sky Ferreira
Sky Ferreira , is an American model, singer, songwriter, and actress. On March 22, 2011, Ferreira released her first digital extended play, As If!.-Early life:...
.
Beg, Borrow and Steal: 2011
Hitch began recording her debut album, Beg, Borrow and Steal in March 2010 with Blanco. She released promo single, "Get Over U", co-written by SiaSia
-People:*Sia Berkeley , British actress*Sia Figiel , Samoan novelist, poet and painter*Sia Furler , Australian singer...
, for free in January 2011. She also released a series of covers and mash-up covers of songs by other artists. Her official first single, "Bad Dog" was released in July.
Artistry
Hitch lists The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Sia
Sia
-People:*Sia Berkeley , British actress*Sia Figiel , Samoan novelist, poet and painter*Sia Furler , Australian singer...
, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Jay Thomas
Jay Thomas
Jay Thomas is an American actor, comedian and radio talk show host.-Personal life:Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas. He was raised in his Italian American mother's Roman Catholic faith, although his father was Protestant....
, Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
, Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
, Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, Miike Snow
Miike Snow
Miike Snow is a Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. The band consists of producing team Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg and Andrew Wyatt.-Early years:Miike Snow was formed in 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden....
, Amadou & Mariam
Amadou & Mariam
Amadou & Mariam are a musical duo from Mali, composed of the couple Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia . The pair, known as "the blind couple from Mali" met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, and found they shared an interest in music...
, Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
and The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
as influences.
As featured artist
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 2011 | "Ass Back Home Ass Back Home -Chart performance:-Release history:... " (Gym Class Heroes Gym Class Heroes Gym Class Heroes is an American hip hop rock band from Geneva, New York. They have collaborated with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump on numerous occasions, notably for providing backing vocals on the song "Cupid's Chokehold." Stump also produced the majority of their album The Quilt.The group formed... featuring Neon Hitch) |
19 | The Papercut Chronicles II |
| 2010
! scope="row" | "Follow Me Down
Follow Me Down
"Follow Me Down" is a song by American group 3OH!3 featuring English artist Neon Hitch.- Chart performance :It debuted at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #36 on the Canadian Hot 100, and has since re-entered at #89 on the Hot 100...
" (3OH!3
3OH!3
3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100...
featuring Neon Hitch)
| 19
| Almost Alice
|}
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Artist | Album | Credits | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Stupid Love Letter" | Friday Night Boys | Off The Deep End | Co-write, background vocals | |
| 2010 | "Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah (song) "Blah Blah Blah" is a song by American recording artist Kesha from her debut album, Animal. Produced by Benny Blanco, and co-written by Kesha, Blanco, Neon Hitch and Sean Foreman, it was released as the album's second single on February 19, 2010, and features 3OH!3... " |
Kesha Kesha Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese.... featuring 3OH!3 3OH!3 3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100... |
Animal Animal (Kesha album) Animal is the debut studio album by American pop singer Kesha. The album was released on January 1, 2010, by RCA Records. Kesha worked with a variety of producers and writers such as Lukasz Gottwald , Benny Blanco, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, and others... |
Co-write, background vocals | |
| "Follow Me Down Follow Me Down "Follow Me Down" is a song by American group 3OH!3 featuring English artist Neon Hitch.- Chart performance :It debuted at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #36 on the Canadian Hot 100, and has since re-entered at #89 on the Hot 100... " |
3OH!3 3OH!3 3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100... |
Almost Alice Almost Alice -Charts:-References:... |
Co-write, vocals | ||
| "Traces" | Sky Ferreira Sky Ferreira Sky Ferreira , is an American model, singer, songwriter, and actress. On March 22, 2011, Ferreira released her first digital extended play, As If!.-Early life:... |
As If! As If! - Release history :... |
Co-write | ||
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Derek" (Streets Remix) | 2007 | Mike Skinner | Neon Hitch |
| "Get Over U" | 2011 | Jason Bergh | Neon Hitch |