Nick Heyward

Nick Heyward
Heyward at the Let's Rock Bristol, June 2015
Background information
Birth name	Nicholas Heyward
Born	(1961-05-20) 20 May 1961 (age 55) Beckenham, Kent, England
Genres	Pop, rock, new wave, alternative, indie rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Arista 1981-1986 Reprise 1988-1989 Epic 1993-1996 Creation 1997-1998
Associated acts	Haircut 100 Boogie Box High
Website	nickheyward.com

Nicholas "Nick" Heyward (born 20 May 1961 in Beckenham, Kent) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist known for being the frontman of the early 1980s band Haircut 100 and for his solo career.

Born in Beckenham, Heyward spent his early years in and around south London. He attended Kelsey Park School for Boys where he studied art and photography. He left school at 16 to work as a commercial artist.

Heyward and school friends Graham Jones and Les Nemes, the core of Haircut One Hundred, started bands together as far back as 1977. They were first known as Rugby, then the Boat Party, Captain Pennyworth and Moving England, before settling on Haircut One Hundred. The band signed with Arista Records in 1981 and had four UK Top 10 singles between 1981—82. Their debut album, Pelican West (1982), written by Heyward, reached No. 2. It was Certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.

Work on the band's second album commenced in October 1982 but, in January 1983, a statement was issued confirming that Heyward had left the band and percussionist Marc Fox had taken over on vocals. At the time of the announcement, Heyward told Smash Hits magazine that he had been contemplating going solo for a while and had already recorded some tracks with session musicians. However, many years later, Heyward stated that he had been struggling with stress and depression at the time after a year of constant work and pressure which led to him being, in effect, sacked by the other members of the band.

Heyward's solo career took off in March 1983 with the single "Whistle Down The Wind", which reached No. 13 in the UK Singles Chart. Two further Top 20 hits followed: "Take That Situation" (#11) and "Blue Hat for a Blue Day" (#14). His debut solo album, North of a Miracle, was released in October 1983 and peaked at No. 10 in the UK. The successive non-album singles, "Love All Day" and "Warning Sign" both went Top 40 although a final single "Laura" failed to do so.