Growing up in Harrow, London, Nash first became interested in music during her childhood when she learned to play the piano. She attended St. John Fisher school and moved on to the St. Joan of Arc School in Rickmansworth. Her talents were harnessed further when she wrote songs for her GCSE in Music and her time studying at the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon, South London. However, her first love was acting and so in 2005 she made moves to start a career in acting by auditioning at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and was rejected. After her rejection she fell down a flight of stairs, breaking her foot. During her recovery Nash was unable to go anywhere and found solace in song writing. She began to write some new songs, finished old ones and decided that she would book herself a gig at a local bar to showcase her songs. From this experience she decided to start a career in music.
Nash's early live performances saw her play a number of cover versions. After a few gigs, Nash uploaded her music to the popular website MySpace. Her music soon began to receive support from users of the site and Nash found herself a manager, proceeding to look for producers.
Fellow MySpace star Lily Allen has stated that she believes Nash is the "next big thing", and she has also garnered support from publications such as Vogue and NME, the latter dubbing her as "chavtronica". Nash has been compared to Lily Allen, because of their storytelling lyrics, the dry sense of humour that fuels their songs as well as distinctive London accents. Some people have commented that Nash sounds like Catherine Tate when she sings. Others have compared some of her songs to music by Regina Spektor.
Nash has stated that her biggest influence has been Regina Spektor and has an extensive list of influences on her myspace page. Some of her influences include, "London, punk, Bored Teenagers and John Cooper Clarke".
Nash's début release was a double-A side single released through independent record label Moshi Moshi in February 2007. The release was limited to 1000 copies and was available on only 7" vinyl. The first A-side, "Caroline's a Victim", is a synth-fuelled song about Nash's friend Caroline. A video for the song was released and received notable airplay on MTV2. The video, directed by Kinga Burza, featured Nash playing a variety of instruments at the same time that "Caroline" sits in her room "playing killer beats", taking photographs, trying on different outfits and sitting at her computer checking a social networking website.
The second A-side to the single was "Birds", an acoustic number that tells the story of a boy's inept attempts to try and explain to his girlfriend how he feels about her, all the while the girl remains despondent about the situation.
During the promotion for "Caroline's a Victim"/"Birds", Nash supported Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly on his national tour before embarking on her own headlining tour, which took her around the UK.
In April 2007, Nash was signed to the Polydor offshoot Fiction Records. A month later, Nash was mocked through a parody of her song, "Caroline's a Victim" entitled "LDN Is A Victim". The song mocked Nash and Lily Allen, amongst others, for singing in a Cockney-drawl, despite their privileged backgrounds.
Nash's second single and first through Fiction Records, "Foundations", which she co-wrote with producer Paul Epworth, was released on June 25, 2007 and reached number two in the official UK Singles Chart.
Following "Foundations", Fiction announced plans to bring forward the release of Nash's debut album to August 6, 2007. The album, Made of Bricks, produced by Paul Epworth, included many of the tracks she had been performing on her two nationwide tours. The album was leaked to filesharing networks days before its commercial release, and has received mixed reviews, The Independent describing it as being in "pole position for worst album of the year." The album reached number 1 in the UK charts.
During mid-2007, Nash performed at numerous festivals including Wireless Festival, Bestival, the Electric Gardens, Glastonbury, Latitude, Reading and Leeds, Oxegen and T in the Park. She made her official TV performance debut on Later with Jools Holland.
Nash features on rapper Kano's album London Town, in a song titled "Me & My Microphone". She is also featured in the song "Look What You've Done" from Lethal Bizzle's latest album, Back To Bizznizz.
Regarding the recording of a new album, Nash told NME that she had been inspired by The Supremes and has written a song called "Cat Song" in their honour. She is also set to release a duet single with Billy Bragg, a cover of The Shangri-Las "Give Storey A Great Big Kiss".
On 20 February 2008 she received a BRIT award for Best Female artist.
In April 2010 she released her sophomore album in 'My Best Friend Is You". With the singles "Do-Wah-Doo" and "Kiss that Grrrl" following close behind.
Foundations
Kate Nash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything's fine
Except you've got that look in your eye
When I'm telling a story and you find it boring
You're thinking of something to say
You'll go along with it, then drop it
And humiliate me in front of our friends
Then I'll use that voice that you find annoyin'
And say something like, "Yeah, intelligent input, darlin'
Why don't you just have another beer then?"
Then you'll call me a bitch
And everyone we're with will be embarrassed
And I won't give a shit
My fingertips are holding onto
The cracks in our foundation
And I know that I should let go
But I can't
And every time we fight I know it's not right
Every time that you're upset and I smile
I know I should forget, but I can't
You said I must eat so many lemons
'Cause I am so bitter
I said, "I'd rather be with your friends, mate
'Cause they are much fitter"
Yes, it was childish
And you got aggressive
And I must admit that I was a bit scared
But it gives me thrills to wind you up
My fingertips are holding onto
The cracks in our foundation
And I know that I should let go
But I can't
And every time we fight I know it's not right
Every time that you're upset and I smile
I know I should forget, but I can't
Your face is pasty
'Cause you've gone and got so wasted
What a surprise
Don't want to look at your face
'Cause it's making me sick
You've gone and got sick on my trainers
I only got these yesterday
Oh my gosh, I cannot be bothered with this
Well, I'll leave you there 'til the mornin'
And I purposely won't turn the heating on
And dear God, I hope I'm not stuck with this one
My fingertips are holding onto
The cracks in our foundation
And I know that I should let go
But I can't
And every time we fight I know it's not right
Every time that you're upset and I smile
I know I should forget, but I can't
And every time we fight I know it's not right
Every time that you're upset and I smile
I know I should forget, but I can't
And every time we fight I know it's not right
Every time that you're upset and I smile
I know I should forget, but I can't
Kate Nash's song Foundations is a catchy tune with a deeply emotional and relatable message. The lyrics describe a tumultuous relationship between two people who seem to be constantly fighting and hurting one another. The first verse sets the scene on a Thursday night when everything seems to be fine, but there is an underlying tension brewing. The singer is telling a story, but her partner finds it boring and embarrasses her in front of their friends. She responds with sarcasm, and it leads to a fight. The chorus reveals that the relationship is plagued by cracks in its foundation, yet the singer is unable to let go.
The second verse continues with more fighting and bitterness, with the partner insulting the singer and getting aggressive. She finds it thrilling to wind him up and does not want to let go of the relationship, despite its toxicity. The final verse shows the singer's disgust as she finds her partner sick and drunk, throwing up on her new shoes. She decides to leave him there, without turning on the heating, indicating her dissatisfaction and disappointment with the relationship. The song ultimately portrays a relationship in which love is not enough to keep the foundation whole, and the cracks have become too deep to repair.
Line by Line Meaning
Thursday night
The day of the week is Thursday.
Everything's fine
The situation seems to be okay at the moment.
Except you've got that look in your eye
However, there is something in your expression that concerns me.
When I'm telling a story and you find it boring
When I'm narrating a tale, and you don't seem interested or amused.
You're thinking of something to say
You must be deliberating about what to say next.
You'll go along with it, then drop it
You may pretentiously agree with the story and then abandon it mid-way, leaving me humiliated.
And humiliate me in front of our friends
You're gradually cutting in middle of my speech and making me feel embarrassed among our common friends.
Then I'll use that voice that you find annoyin'
I'll utilize that particular tone of voice, which seems to irritate you.
And say something like, "Yeah, intelligent input, darlin'
I sarcastically comment on your contribution to the conversation about how your insight is very profound and valuable.
Why don't you just have another beer then?"
You should go ahead and drink more alcohol and forget the conversation.
Then you'll call me a bitch
Due to my biting comments, you call me a female dog.
And everyone we're with will be embarrassed
The people with who we're interacting will feel awkward and uncomfortable due to the ensuing fight.
And I won't give a shit
I will not care about your name-calling and not react to it.
My fingertips are holding onto
The tips of my fingers are gripping tightly onto something.
The cracks in our foundation
I am holding onto the last remnants of our eroding relationship.
And I know that I should let go
I am aware that I must detach myself from you.
But I can't
But, I just cannot do it!
And every time we fight I know it's not right
I realize that fighting isn't the appropriate approach to solve our issues.
Every time that you're upset and I smile
Nonetheless, I still secretly delight in seeing you mad.
You said I must eat so many lemons
You stated that my sour attitude is analogous to eating too many lemons.
'Cause I am so bitter
You say that the reason for my sullen personality is that I harbor grudges.
I said, "I'd rather be with your friends, mate
I responded by saying- 'I'd instead spend time with your pals, my love!
'Cause they are much fitter"
I meant they're in better shape- in terms of physical fitness or possibly, more attractive.
Yes, it was childish
I acknowledge that my response was immature.
And you got aggressive
In return, you showed signs of hostility in reaction to my statement.
And I must admit that I was a bit scared
I have to confess that your sudden aggressive nature frightened me.
But it gives me thrills to wind you up
And yet, I love teasing you and making you uneasy.
Your face is pasty
You have a sickly and drained look on your visage.
'Cause you've gone and got so wasted
You behaved recklessly and drank too much alcohol.
What a surprise
I feel sarcastic when I say, 'What a surprise,' indicating that it's unsurprising that you got inebriated.
Don't want to look at your face
Your appearance does not appeal to me, and I'm disgusted by it at the moment.
'Cause it's making me sick
It is making me feel nauseous, and I want to puke.
You've gone and got sick on my trainers
You vomited on my brand-new shoes!
I only got these yesterday
I purchased these shoes just yesterday.
Oh my gosh, I cannot be bothered with this
I am frustrated and fed up with your irresponsible behavior and this entire situation.
Well, I'll leave you there 'til the mornin'
I'll leave you in this terrible state until the morning.
And I purposely won't turn the heating on
I'll intentionally not turn on the heating, so you feel cold and uncomfortable throughout the night.
And dear God, I hope I'm not stuck with this one
I pray to God that I'm not trapped in this relationship forever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kate Marie Nash, Paul Epworth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind