Sarah Howells is the best. She, collectively through all her bands, is my most listened-to artist. My only tattoo is inspired by one of her songs, and she steadily releases songs that pull me out of my depressive moods.
Though she was 1/4th of Jylt, this post is not about her. It’s about Nia George—a very talented musician who would’ve been very popular had she not passed away 17 years ago today, on February 21st.
A friend’s life was cut short 17 years ago. This morning I’m thinking about the closeness and connection and warm feelings all of those who knew her share with one another. An amazing legacy to leave behind. Thank you Nia x pic.twitter.com/LVQxhMJsmC
— Bryde (@brydeofficial) February 21, 2021
I was not aware of Jylt when they were on track to be the next-big-band. I came to know Sarah through her band Halflight—a band she formed after Nia passed away, and Jylt disbanded.
I found out about Jylt while researching my new found love, Halflight. Within a couple of hours, I went from the joy of having found out more material from Sarah, to reading (and crying about) the tragic story behind the demise of the band.
I bought the CD Nia’s parents put together after her passing, called Messages. It’s an album with some Jylt songs and some of her solo work, and a beautiful reminder of how talented she was.
The thing I am most grateful about is that, there is a proper live recording of a full show Jylt has done on YouTube. Sure, it’s low quality by todays standards, but it is more than anyone could expect from a Welsh band that was not signed at the time.
You get to see how this little 4-piece band created amazing music that is greater than the sum of its parts, with amazing lyrics, beautiful vocals, and is a pure joy to watch and listen.
Anytime I watch the videos, I’m also amazed by how well Nia handles the bass guitar—the basslines are amazing, and she plays them effortlessly while also singing. Fascinating.
You can learn more about Nia and Jylt from an old blog post, from way back when people blogged.
And even though I’ve posted 4 of my favourite songs in this post, you can also watch the whole set on YouTube.