Phildel
| Phildel | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Phildel Hoi Yee Ng |
| Born | 1983 (age 33) Kensington, London, England |
| Genres | Pop, alternative pop, neoclassical, dream pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, keyboards, ukulele |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Yee Inventions |
| Website | www |
Phildel is a British pianist, singer, and songwriter from London. Her name is a composite of her Chinese father and Irish mother's names (Philip and Della).
Phildel's mother married a strictly religious Muslim when Phildel was nine. Her name, religion, lifestyle, and dress-code were forcibly changed, and all of her personal possessions were taken from her. Music became a forbidden evil within the household, meaning no radio, no CD player, and no piano. She was renamed Zara. For the next decade Phildel was treated as a servant within her home. However, Phildel spent lunchtimes with sympathetic music teachers and the school piano, at the girls' day school in Barnet (Queen Elizabeth's School for Girls). The school became a refuge in which she could write and play her own compositions. She eventually ran away from home at age 17 to escape her home-life and follow her dreams.
She soon purchased a second-hand computer and some music demo software packages and began putting together her first home-demo. Within a short while, it attracted the attention of Roger Watson (a former Chrysalis Music MD), and his support of her music led to collaborations with Spike MaClaren at Massive Attack's studio and Sam Dixon (known for his collaborations with many artists including KT Tunstall and Duffy's 'Rockferry' album).
In 2007, she wrote the piano piece "The Kiss" which was used for a worldwide TV advertising campaign for Apple iPad 3. It was also used for Marks & Spencer's advert. Her music has also been used on Persil and Omo washing powder. Another of her tracks "Piano B" was used for an Expedia commercial followed by two more high-profile filmic campaigns in France in 2008/2009. In 2008, another track, "Everyone's Memory Is Snow" (renamed "A Better World"), was used for the commercial for an insurance company, which Zizou praised.
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