Nik Phillips

Nik Phillips is an Australian singer-songwriter whose music is an honest reflection of contemporary Australia life, with a musical
style ranging from pop/rock through to alternative country. During the 90’s and 2000’s, Nik was a fixture at many of the premier venues in South East Queensland. However his live work in his home region, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Nik Phillips story.

The Bigger Picture
Nik is an independent artist who has released 6 albums. His most recent “Songs From the 4th Floor” became the first Australian CD to be released in mainland China through a major Chinese record company.

He has received Golden Guitar nominations from the Australian Country Music Association and received strong radio and TV coverage as an alternative country music artist.

His first single “Something About You”, released by Festival Records, reached number 10 in the Queensland music charts. Shortly after, he moved to Los Angeles, where he recorded his first album, Poetry and Beer, under the production skills of famous US producers the Robb Brothers. Whilst in the USA, he performed across the West Coast and at events such as the famed Santa Monica Pier as part of the Soccer World Cup celebrations.

His next album ‘Four Poet Steps’ was released through BMG and featured the single “Bleeding Valentine”, a song described at the time by some critics as the years most MMM radio friendly single.

His other CDs include Six Pack (2001), Northern Rivers Child (2003), Songs From the Fourth Floor (2006) and Postcard (Chinese release 2007). Other songs to have shaped Nik’s career include “Forever Queensland”, the official anthem for Australia’s biggest sporting event, the Rugby League State of Origin series. He also wrote and recorded the official song for Queensland’s other leading sporting team, the Queensland Reds. Nik regularly performed at their matches before crowds ranging from 25,000 to 56,000 people.
https://nikphillips.bandcamp.com

In 2001, while Australian troops where undertaking Peacekeeping duties in East Timor, Nik penned the song “Come Back Soon”. This song was endorsed by the Queensland Premier Mr Peter Beattie and was involved in projects which raised over AU$70, 000 for two East Timor orphanages. During this time Nik also devised and ran (in association with the radio station MMM) the Adopt a Digger program, which provided support for troops and their families and raised funds for the Red Cross.

The China Story
After the release of Songs From the 4th Floor, Nik sought advice on how to explore new markets. A 2007 opportunistic discussion with the Premier of Queensland Peter, led to Nik performing (very unexpectedly) in China at some major festivals. This led to a very unique 10 year journey.

In June 2008, Nik wrote the song ‘Hold Their Spirits High’ for the people of Sichuan, after seeing the effects of the devastating earthquake that killed over 69 000 people and injured over 370 000. The duet was recorded in mandarin with Guangdong artist DJ Lam and released at a concert in Guangzhou which helped raise over a million AUD for the Chinese Red Cross. The film clip, shot on the Sunshine Coast, received wide mass market coverage and promotion for the region in Southern China. The song Reach Around the World was released through China’s largest pop music label and reached number 3 on the China National Radio Network Chart.  The song Five Star Red Flag saw Nik appearing on China’s largest TV Network.  Says Nik, “Before going there, I knew absolutely nothing about the real China. Today I have been exposed to insights about the Chinese media, Government, business and daily life, that very few people get the chance to experience. Most importantly, I have had the chance of being exposed to how wonderful the Chinese people are. I hope a lot more Aussies get the chance to experience that”.

Now he is back in his “home zone”, preparing to make a new CD, perform new shows and share a decade of experiences..