Ida Nielsen

01Biography

The bass, the heart.

Old-school funk that hits hard, slap that blows the roof off, and attitude for days.

A Danish bassist, singer, songwriter and bandleader, Ida Nielsen cut her teeth alongside Prince, first in the New Power Generation and later in 3rd Eye Girl. It all began in 2010 with an invitation to come jam at Paisley Park; she would go on to tour at his side until the Purple One's passing in April 2016. From that journey she took away one lesson: always play with your heart.

On her four-string Sandberg electric bass, Ida fires off punchy funk grooves, slap virtuosity, catchy pop hooks and razor-sharp rap. She handles vocals and keys alike, and counts Marcus Miller, Mark King, Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins and Victor Wooten among her heroes. Her records are bass albums through and through: old-school funk laced with hip-hop, reggae and neo-soul.

Born in Aarhus, she started out singing in a choir before picking up the bass at 16, then went on to study at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Tours with Michael Learns To Rock and Zap Mama followed, along with a debut solo album in 2008 and a rich discography stretching all the way to More Sauce, Please! in 2023. She has been named one of the ten best bassists in the world.

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02On stage