Paul Andrew "Nellee" Hooper (born 15 March 1963) is a British record producer,

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

er and songwriter known for his work with many major recording artists beginning in the late 1980s. He also debuted as a motion picture music composer with Scottish composer Craig Armstrong and Marius de Vries for the soundtrack for

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor whose various projects extend from film and television into opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries. He is regarded by ...

's ''

Romeo + Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet or Romeo & Juliet may also refer to: Ballets * ''Romeo and Juliet'', a ballet score by Constant Lambert * Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev), ''Romeo and Juliet'' (Prokofiev), a ...

'' in 1996. Hooper has produced seven

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning recordings for artists including

Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. ...

, U2, Soul II Soul, and

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

. He has been awarded ''Q'''s Best Producer award and twice been ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' Producer of the Year.

Biography

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, Hooper began his career in 1982 as a percussionist and backing vocalist with Bristol punk funk

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band Maximum Joy. He later became a DJ as a member of the Wild Bunch, the Bristol-based sound system and group that became

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

. Between 1989 and 1992, he produced albums for Soul II Soul ('' Club Classics Vol. I''),

('' I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got''), and

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

's first outing ('' Debut''), which in 1995 ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...

'' magazine ranked the 31st and 3rd best dance albums of all time, as well as Massive Attack's second album (''

Protection Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

''). The 1995 BRIT Awards honoured Hooper as Best Producer for his work on Massive Attack's ''

'', Björk's '' Post'' and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

's '' Bedtime Stories'' albums. In 1998, he won a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Award ( Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music) for his work arranging the score and soundtrack for

's ''Romeo + Juliet''. In the late 1990s, Hooper set up the Meanwhile... label, which is a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

. Hooper continued to work steadily into the 2000s. He received a Grammy nomination in 2003 for his work on No Doubt's '' Rock Steady'' and Lamya's ''

Learning from Falling ''Learning from Falling'' is the debut studio album by United Kingdom, British singer Lamya. It was released on 30 July 2002 through J Records. The singer worked with Nellee Hooper on most of the album, while Mark Ronson, David Kahne, duo Soulshoc ...

'' albums. His other work has included producing the singles "

GoldenEye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...

" (1995) for

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

, " Under the Bridge" (1998) for All Saints and " Down Boy" (2002) for Holly Valance as well as providing remixes for artists like

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

and Sade. He has worked with

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani Shelton ( ; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani rose to fame as a member and lead vocalist of the band No Doubt, whose hit singles include " Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs", an ...

on her solo albums and on U2's 2004 release '' How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'', for which he won a Grammy Award. He also produced the debut solo album of Andrea Corr of the Corrs, titled '' Ten Feet High'', released on 25 June 2007. Hooper produced the full-length debut album for Disney actress/singer Emily Osment, '' Fight or Flight'' in 2010. In 2011, Hooper produced Paloma Faith's '' Fall to Grace'', nominated for two Brit Awards for Best Female and Album of the Year.

Awards

Grammy winners

Soul II Soul (1989)
Soul II Soul's 1989 album '' Club Classics Vol. One'' (known as ''Keep on Movin’'' in the US), produced by Hooper, was awarded two Grammys: " Back to Life" won

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as th ...

and "African Dance" won Best R&B Instrumental Song. Sinead O'Connor (1991)

took the Best Alternative Music Performance Grammy for her album '' I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got''. Smashing Pumpkins (1997)
The single " The End Is the Beginning Is the End" won the Best Hard Rock Performance award at the 1997 Grammys. U2 (2006)
'' How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' won Album of the Year at the 2006 Grammys. The single " Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" won two awards; Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Song of the Year.

''Romeo + Juliet'' score

Hooper was responsible for the

award-winning soundtrack to

's ''

'' in 1996. He worked with Scottish composer Craig Armstrong and English composer Marius van Wyk de Vries. It was Hooper's first and only motion picture score. Hooper armed the soundtrack with sequences of bombastic choral and flamboyant orchestral forces, and fused it with his well-known

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, electronic and

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

genres. Hooper since has not been active in the motion picture industry.

Technology

In 2021, Hooper joined Throne, a

venture capital Venture capital (VC) is a form of private equity financing provided by firms or funds to start-up company, startup, early-stage, and emerging companies, that have been deemed to have high growth potential or that have demonstrated high growth in ...

firm, as an advisor alongside Gee Roberson, the former chairman of

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

, and manager of

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

Selected production credits

* " Shame on You" ( Andrea Corr) * "I Need Your Lovin'" (12" extended remix) ( Alyson Williams) * " #1 Crush" (Nellee Hooper Remix) (

Garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...

) * " Down Boy" ( Holly Valance) * " Under the Bridge" ( All Saints) * " Got 'til It's Gone" (Nellee Hooper Master Mix) (

feat. Q-Tip and

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

) * "Ordinary Girl" (LOLENE) * '' Fall to Grace'' (

Paloma Faith Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. After signing with Epic Records in 2008, Faith released her debut album, '' Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?'' (2009), which produced the UK ...

) * "Where Are You Now" (Nellee Hooper Mix) (Janet Jackson) * " Feel No Pain" (Nellee Hooper Remix) ( Sade) * " Young Hearts Run Free" ( Kym Mazelle) * "

" (

) * " 6 Underground" (Nellee Hooper Edit) (

Sneaker Pimps Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band, formed in Hartlepool in 1994. They are best known for their debut album, '' Becoming X'' (1996), and its singles " 6 Underground" and " Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an articl ...

) * "Gabriel" (Nellee Hooper Mix) ( Lamb) * " Nothing Compares 2 U" (

) *

** "

It's Oh So Quiet "It's Oh So Quiet" is a song by American singer Betty Hutton, released in 1951 as the B-side to the single "Murder, He Says". It is a cover of the German song "Und jetzt ist es still", Select Work ID and search for 390157329. Performers include ...

" ** " Big Time Sensuality" ** "

Hyperballad "Hyperballad" (sometimes written as "Hyper-Ballad") is a song by the Icelandic musician Björk, released as the fourth single from her second solo album, '' Post'' (1995). It was written by Björk and co-produced by her long time collaborator N ...

" ** " Venus as a Boy" ** " Violently Happy" ** " Isobel" ** "

Human Behaviour Human behavior is the potential and expressed capacity ( mentally, physically, and socially) of human individuals or groups to respond to internal and external stimuli throughout their life. Behavior is driven by genetic and environmental ...

" ** " Army of Me" ** "Sweet Sweet Intuition" – ''

'' b-side *

** "Wonderful Life" ** " Early Winter" ** " What You Waiting For?" ** " Luxurious" ** " The Real Thing" ** "Danger Zone" *

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...

** " The End Is the Beginning Is the End" ** "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" ** " Perfect" (Nellee Hooper Mix) *

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band formed in Anaheim, California in 1986. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist and founding member Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young. Keyboar ...

** "

Hella Good "Hella Good" is a song by American rock band No Doubt from their fifth studio album, '' Rock Steady'' (2001). Written by Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal and the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo), and produced by Nellee Hooper and the band, " ...

" ** " It's My Life" ** "

Running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

" * Lamya ** "Black Mona Lisa" ** "

Empires An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred t ...

" *

** " Bedtime Story" ** " I Want You" feat.

** "Sanctuary" ** "Inside of Me" ** "Survival" ** "Forbidden Love" * Soul II Soul ** " Keep on Movin'" ** " Back to Life" ** " Get a Life" * U2 ** " Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" ** "

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" is a song by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It was released as a single from the Batman Forever (soundtrack), soundtrack album for the film ''Batman Forever'' on 5 June 1995 by Atlantic Records, Atlantic an ...

" ** " If God Will Send His Angels" * Emily Osment ** '' Fight or Flight''

References

External links

Nellee Hooper
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

* *
Nellee Hooper
on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

Nellee Hooper
filmography on

Yahoo! Movies Yahoo! Movies (formerly Upcoming Movies), provided by the Yahoo! network, was home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Ya ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Nellee English record producers English male songwriters English male film score composers Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners Brit Award winners Grammy Award winners Musicians from Bristol 1963 births Living people Soul II Soul members British remixers