Nina Miranda

Life and career

Nina was born in Brasília, Brazil. Her father is the Brazilian plastic artist Luiz Aquila; Her mother is the English Liz Thompson-Miranda, who is also a plastic artist. The family subsequently lived in both England and France. Miranda said that she wanted to be an opera singer when she was younger, but later studied art instead.

Smoke City played major venues and festivals in the UK and Europe. Their first album, Flying Away, was released in 1997, followed in 2001 by Heroes Of Nature. Some of Smoke City's songs, and other writing collaborations Miranda has been involved with, have appeared in films and advertising. In a podcast on the Myspace website of Zeep, the duo that she later formed with fellow Smoke City member, Chris Franck, it was revealed that Smoke City had decided to fold because of pressure exerted on the band by their record label. Zeep released an album in July 2007, eponymously named Zeep. In 2009, Zeep released a second album, People & Things.

Miranda has also worked with a variety of artists, performing on tracks for Da Lata, Nitin Sawhney, Basement Jaxx, Cirque du Soleil, Bebel Gilberto, Daniel Jobim, Antonio Chainho, Spiller, Faze Action, Jah Wobble, Les Gammas, Troubleman, Arkestra 1, Hajime Yoshizawa and Robert Miles. Nina joined musical forces with Dennis Wheatley in forming the group Shrift. The principal result of this collaboration was the 2006 release, Lost in a Moment.

Miranda and her partner from Smoke City and Zeep, Chris Franck, had two sons together. They separated in 2011, but remain friends and are devoted parents.