Anika Nilles
Anika Nilles has emerged as a German figurehead of “modern drumming” on the international stage since 2014. Recently nominated for the German Jazz Award, she showcased her drumming skills on the last world tour of the late guitar legend Jeff Beck in 2022. She has collaborated with artists such as Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), John McLaughlin, Jim Peterik (Survivor), Ron Wood (Rolling Stones), Herbie Crichlow (Backstreet Boys), Johnny Depp (Hollywood Vampires), Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy), Derek Trucks (Tedeschi Trucks Band), and more. As a songwriter and producer, she writes for her band “Nevell” and has already released three albums that reached as high as third place on the US Jazz Charts.
Her music is a fusion of jazz, funk, rock, and pop, with compositions that are both complex and catchy. Since 2020, Anika has been leading the drum department at the renowned Popakademie in Mannheim. She has been on a global tour for years, conducting masterclasses, drum camps, and clinics. In 2020, she made her debut as an author with Alfred Music Publishing, releasing her first instructional book titled “Pad Book.” Anika has also contributed as a writer to various drum magazines in the UK, USA, and Germany.