Birth name Miki Eleonora Berenyi Role Singer Name Miki Berenyi | Years active 1988–1998 Parents Yasuko Nagazumi | |
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Miki berenyi interview 2015
Miki Eleonora Berenyi (born 18 March 1967) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. She was a member of the alternative rock band Lush.
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Born in Chelsea, London to a Japanese mother and a Hungarian father. She is the daughter of Japanese actress Yasuko Nagazumi, who played minor roles in the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice and the TV series Space: 1999.
Miki Berenyi- Smile
Music
At the age of 14, Berenyi met her friend and future bandmate, Emma Anderson. They became interested in music and together published a music fanzine, Alphabet Soup (which only lasted for five issues). Berenyi first played bass with the band the Bugs. In 1987, Berenyi studied English literature at the North London Polytechnic, where she met drummer Chris Acland and singer Meriel Barham. Along with Anderson, they decided to form their own band, originally called the Baby Machines. Bassist Steve Rippon joined, and they changed their name to Lush. When Barham left, "the remaining members of Lush placed ads in local papers looking for Barham's replacement, but they couldn't find the singer they wanted, and Berenyi took over the vocals".
From 1987 until 1996, she played with Lush, releasing several albums, singles and music videos, and toured extensively through the UK, North America, Japan, Australia and other countries. She and Acland also collaborated with members of Cocteau Twins and Moose, releasing one song in 1991 under the name Lillies.
Lush officially announced their breakup in February 1998, following Acland's suicide in October 1996.
After Lush split, Berenyi appeared on the Rentals' album Seven More Minutes (1999). She also contributed vocals to a remix of a Flat 7 track by Robin Guthrie (who also produced Lush's early work), and appeared on the debut album of Eric Matthews's Seinking Ships, Museum Quality Capture, released in 2010.
When asked if she missed anything about her time in Lush, she stated, "I miss the excitement and energy of playing live and the camaraderie of touring—being with the band and crew in a foreign country is like going on holiday with your mates but even more fun because it’s free." She also said, "I enjoyed being in the band immensely, I’m glad I did it".
Berenyi later worked for a magazine as a sub-editor and did not perform for many years. She explained: "I was never a proper guitarist—only in the context of Lush. I played the guitar to write songs on and to play live".
Lush, including Berenyi, announced a reunion on 28 September 2015. They toured and recorded an EP of new material before ending again in late 2016.
Personal life
As of 2013, Berenyi was living in northwest London with her partner K.J. "Moose" McKillop and two children. McKillop was a member of the band Moose, which took its name from his nickname.