Nick Heyward

English singer songwriter and guitarist

Nicholas Heyward (born 20 May 1961) is an English singer songwriter and guitarist. He came to international attention in the early 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter for Haircut One Hundred. He and the band parted ways after their first album, after which he continued as a solo artist.

Born in Beckenham, Heyward spent his early years in and around south London. He attended Kelsey Park School for Boys in Beckenham where he studied art and photography. He left school at 16 to work as a commercial artist.

Heyward and school friends Graham Jones and Les Nemes, the core of Haircut One Hundred, started bands together as far back as 1977. They were first known as Rugby, then the Boat Party, Captain Pennyworth and Moving England, before settling on Haircut One Hundred. The band signed with Arista Records in 1981 and had four UK top 10 singles between 1981 and 1982. Their debut album, Pelican West (1982), written by Heyward, reached No. 2. It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. Work on the band's second album commenced in October 1982 but, in January 1983, a statement was issued confirming that Heyward had left the band, However, many years later, Heyward stated that he had been struggling with stress and depression at the time after a year of constant work and pressure which led to him being, in effect, sacked by the other members of the band. Over the years, the band has reformed several times, most recently in May 2023. Heyward described a "deep love" for the band and remarked that "the door is always open". In an interview with Lorraine, he said he was "ever hopeful" that the band would one day play a reunion show at the Roundhouse where Pelican West was recorded.

Heyward's solo career began in March 1983 with the single "Whistle Down the Wind", Two further top 20 hits followed: "Take That Situation" (No. 11) and brought him his first hits of the 1990s. The first single, "Kite", reached No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart

In 1995, Heyward released his second Epic Records album, Tangled, providing him with the UK top 40 single "Rollerblade". Heyward's most recent major label release. It featured three singles, "Today", "The Man You Used to Be" and "Stars in Her Eyes". Since 1998, Heyward has released two independent albums: Open Sesame Seed (2001), a collaboration with British actor/singer Greg Ellis, and featuring Ellis reading Heyward's poetry to the accompaniment of Heyward's musical backing; and The Mermaid and the Lighthouse Keeper (2006), an album of songs recorded with singer/actress India Dupre. In November 2013, Heyward announced on his website that he was in the process of recording a new album with his son, Oliver. A preview of the album was made available on the site in October 2015. A PledgeMusic campaign to support the album was announced on Heyward's website, on 4 April 2017 and the album title, Woodland Echoes, was released the following day.

Heyward married Glaswegian Marion Killen in 1987. They had two children, Oliver and Katie, before divorcing in 2000. In 1998, he had a spiritual awakening that he described as a feeling of complete contentment and a deep connection with nature. Heyward lives in Stoke Row, South Oxfordshire, and in February 2016 announced his engagement to Sara, his American girlfriend.

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications AlbumUK 1981 "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" (Haircut One Hundred) 4 – – – 41 50 32 – BPI: Silver Pelican West(Haircut 100 album)1982 "Love Plus One" (Haircut One Hundred) 3 37 – 18 8 18 22 – BPI: Gold"Fantastic Day" (Haircut One Hundred) 9 – – – – – 29 – "Nobody's Fool" (Haircut One Hundred) 9 – – – – – – – Pelican West Plus1983 "Whistle Down the Wind" 13 – 20 – – – – – North of a Miracle"Take That Situation" 11 – – – – – – – "Blue Hat for a Blue Day" 14 – – – – – – – "On a Sunday" 52 – – – – – – – 1984 "Love All Day" 31 – – – – – – – Non album singles"My Pure Lady" (Japan only) – – – – – – – – "Warning Sign" 25 – – – – – – – 1985 "Laura" 45 – – – – – – – 1986 "Over the Weekend" 43 – – – – – – – Postcards from Home"Goodbye Yesterday" 82 – – – – – – – 1988 "You're My World" 67 – – – – – – – I Love You Avenue 1989 "Tell Me Why" – – – – – – – – 1993 "Kite" 44 107 – 4 – – – – From Monday to Sunday"He Doesn't Love You Like I Do" 58 – – – – – – 55 1995 "The World" 47 – – – – – – – Tangled 1996 "Rollerblade" 37 – – – – – – – 1997 "Today" – – – – – – – – The Apple Bed"The Man You Used to Be" – – – – – – – – 1998 "Stars in Her Eyes" – – – – – – – – 2017 "Baby Blue Sky" / "Mountaintop" – – – – – – – – Woodland Echoes"Perfect Sunday Sun" – – – – – – – – 2018 "The Stars" – – – – – – – – "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. "Whistle Down the Wind" additionally charted at No. 20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. "Kite" charted at No. 7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.