As a teenager, Nick Ingram knew Amy Winehouse. Growing up in the same part of north London, they performed together in shows for the local Jewish youth group. So it is entirely appropriate that Ingram’s first foray into the world of pop should be about the ravaging effects of fame.
The 26-year-old musician from Southgate is one half of The Yeah You’s, tipped to be the big band of the summer. He and 31-year-old Mike Kintish, from Broughton Park in Manchester, have just released their debut single, 15 Minutes, which is receiving rave reviews from, among others, Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles.
Ingram explains that the song’s title is an ironic reference to artist Andy Warhol’s quote about everyone in the world being “famous for 15 minutes”. But Warhol was not quite right. Modern fame is not so short-lived, as it is dragged back and forth through newspapers, TV and the web.
“Most young people now, when asked what they want from life, say that they want to be famous, rather than actually knowing how they want to do it,” he says. “As far as we’re concerned, fame is something we will deal with as a by-product of creating good music.”
Ingram and Kintish have been working together for two-and-a-half years. “We immediately found we could relate to the same things and enjoyed each other’s ideas. We enjoy making melodious music that is influenced by the Beatles and the Beach Boys,” says Ingram. “Our style is bombastic pop, big happy songs and summery themes.”
15 Minutes is certainly a catchy, breezy song, typical of most of the tracks on their forthcoming album, Looking Through You, which was co-written by the pair before they were signed up a year ago by Island Records.
Ingram has a background in acting and singing — he has done his time on the simchah circuit. “I did a lot of performing as a youngster, having taken singing lessons from the age of three. I ended up singing at most of my friends’ barmitzvahs,” he says.
He has not seen Amy Winehouse since they went the local SPEC youth club together, “although I bumped into her dad recently”.
Kintish, who is a writer and pianist, was a member of the Habonim youth group — the talent factory that produced luminaries such as David Baddiel and Sacha Baron Cohen. “Being in a Jewish environment is so important for developing your confidence. Habonim put a lot of emphasis on creativity and performing.”
