# Nik Kershaw
**Nik Kershaw** (Nicholas David Kershaw, born 1958 in Bristol) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who broke through in 1984 with the singles "Wouldn't It Be Good" and "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and the albums *Human Racing* and *The Riddle*.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) After four albums on [MCA Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/mca-records) and sales of over 8 million, he left the performing spotlight in 1990 to write and produce for other artists, including [Chesney Hawkes](https://www.edgepedia.org/chesney-hawkes)'s UK number one "The One and Only", and later resumed his own recording career.[2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958, Bristol; grew up in Ipswich[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) |
| Breakthrough | "Wouldn't It Be Good" reached No.4 in the UK in early 1984; the re-released "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" reached No.2[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) |
| 1984 albums | *Human Racing* (February 1984, UK Top 5) and *The Riddle* (November 1984, UK No.3), released nine months apart[3](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-interview-the-riddle/) • [1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) |
| Chart totals | 5 UK Top 10 singles, 8 Top 40 singles, and 2 Top 10 albums[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) |
| Live Aid | Performed at Wembley in July 1985[2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/) |
| Songwriting for others | "The One and Only", a UK No.1 for Chesney Hawkes in 1991; collaborations with Elton John, Sia, Gary Barlow, and Bonnie Tyler[4](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/nik-kershaw) • [5](https://www.nikkershaw.net/about-nik/) |
| Later albums | *15 Minutes* (1998) through to *Oxymoron* (2020)[2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/) • [6](https://articles.roland.com/a-few-minutes-with-nik-kershaw/) |
## Early career and signing to MCA
Kershaw grew up in Ipswich, which he has described as relatively showbiz-bereft, singing and playing guitar in local bands.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) In 1978, after three years working as a civil servant, he turned professional, serving what he calls an apprenticeship playing guitar in jazz-fusion and functions bands.[2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/) His band Fusion, which merged jazz, funk, and rock and covered artists including [Steely Dan](https://www.edgepedia.org/steely-dan) and [Weather Report](https://www.edgepedia.org/weather-report), split in 1982.[7](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-album-by-album/) He then spent a year unemployed, assembling Portastudio demos and taking them around record companies, before MCA signed him in 1983.[2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/) • [7](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-album-by-album/)
MCA paired him with producer Peter Collins, whom Kershaw knew from Collins's work on [Musical Youth](https://www.edgepedia.org/musical-youth)'s "Pass the Dutchie". They recorded at Sarm East in [East London](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-london) over the summer of 1983, re-recording the roughly 15 demos Kershaw had amassed; nearly all of the material was used on the album or as B-sides.[7](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-album-by-album/) • [6](https://articles.roland.com/a-few-minutes-with-nik-kershaw/) Earlier sessions with producer Rupert Hine had included a version of "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down".[8](https://www.tdpromo.com/artist/nik-kershaw/)
## 1984: Human Racing and The Riddle
*Human Racing* arrived in February 1984 and went Top 5 in the UK, becoming a platinum-selling success.[3](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-interview-the-riddle/) • [7](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-album-by-album/) The lead single "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" had first charted at No.47 in November 1983; the breakthrough came with "Wouldn't It Be Good", a No.4 hit whose video, shot by [Storm Thorgerson](https://www.edgepedia.org/storm-thorgerson), showed Kershaw as a chromakey-suited alien. The original title of the song was "Wouldn't it Be Nice", which Kershaw felt was meaningless; he has described the finished lyric as being about envy from two people's perspectives.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) • [9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/15/how-we-made-wouldnt-it-be-good-by-nik-kershaw) The re-released "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" then peaked at No.2, his biggest hit as a performer.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/)
Under pressure from the record company to keep the momentum going, Kershaw released his second album, *The Riddle*, just nine months after the first, writing the entire album bar one track in a two-week window while still promoting *Human Racing*.[3](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-interview-the-riddle/) The album reached No.3 in the UK, and its title track became one of his signature songs.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) The album drew on his jazz-fusion background, including the track "Easy", which featured [Level 42](https://www.edgepedia.org/level-42)'s Mark King on bass after King asked if he could play on something.[7](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-album-by-album/) • [6](https://articles.roland.com/a-few-minutes-with-nik-kershaw/) Years later Kershaw revealed that the lyrics of "The Riddle", often read as a reference to a 17th-century Spanish novel, in fact meant nothing.[3](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-interview-the-riddle/)
During this period he gained further visibility by supporting [Duran Duran](https://www.edgepedia.org/duran-duran) on tour, and in July 1985 he performed at [Live Aid](https://www.edgepedia.org/live-aid) at Wembley.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/) • [2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/) According to the Yorkshire Post, in the mid-1980s he spent more weeks in the UK charts than any other British male solo artist.[10](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/nik-kershaw-maybe-the-imposter-thing-came-from-my-dad-8694198)
## Later MCA albums and the move behind the scenes
Kershaw recorded two further MCA albums, *Radio Musicola* (1986) and *The Works* (1989); *Radio Musicola* was not as successful as its predecessors.[11](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4668) • [12](https://themouthmagazine.com/2012/10/01/nik-kershaw-the-mouthcast/) In 1990, after four MCA albums and sales of over 8 million, he left the spotlight to concentrate on songwriting and producing.[2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/)
The following years saw him work with a long list of artists, including [Elton John](https://www.edgepedia.org/elton-john), Chesney Hawkes, Cliff Richard, Bonnie Tyler, Lulu, Ronan Keating, Jason Donovan, Tony Banks, Imogen Heap, Gary Barlow, and Let Loose.[2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/) His song "The One and Only" gave Chesney Hawkes a UK No.1 single in 1991.[4](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/nik-kershaw) He also wrote and produced a song for Elton John's *Duets* album.[5](https://www.nikkershaw.net/about-nik/) His songwriting earned praise from Elton John, who called him "one of the best songwriters of a generation", and admirers including [Eric Clapton](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-clapton) and [Miles Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/miles-davis); he has received four Brit Award nominations.[7](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-album-by-album/) • [2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/)
## Return to recording
Kershaw rekindled his recording career in 1998 with the critically acclaimed album *15 Minutes* on Eagle Records, followed by further albums including *To Be Frank* (2001), which like *15 Minutes* was underpinned by acoustic guitar rather than synthesizer, and *Ei8ht* (2012).[2](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/) • [8](https://www.tdpromo.com/artist/nik-kershaw/) His 2020 album *Oxymoron* has been described in a Roland profile as a career highlight.[6](https://articles.roland.com/a-few-minutes-with-nik-kershaw/) In 2019 the University of Suffolk awarded him an Honorary Doctorate for his services to the music industry.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/)
He has continued to tour steadily, including a co-headline Australian tour with Go West in March 2024 marking 40 years since *Human Racing* and *The Riddle*, and a "Six in 26" UK tour, with a new album expected around 2028.[13](https://www.nikkershaw.net/news/?view=entry) • [14](https://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2026/06/04/interview-with-pop-icon-nik-kershaw-ahead-of-parr-hall-show/)
## References
1. [Nik Kershaw songs and albums, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21164/nik-kershaw/)
2. [Nik Kershaw, Armin Rahn Agency & Management](https://www.arminrahn.com/en/artists/nik-kershaw/)
3. [Nik Kershaw interview: The Riddle, Classic Pop Magazine](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-interview-the-riddle/)
4. [Nik Kershaw Concert & Tour History, Concert Archives](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/nik-kershaw)
5. [About Nik, The Official Nik Kershaw Website](https://www.nikkershaw.net/about-nik/)
6. [A Few Minutes with Nik Kershaw, Roland Articles](https://articles.roland.com/a-few-minutes-with-nik-kershaw/)
7. [Nik Kershaw: Album by Album, Classic Pop Magazine](https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/nik-kershaw-album-by-album/)
8. [Nik Kershaw, Tony Denton Promotions](https://www.tdpromo.com/artist/nik-kershaw/)
9. [How we made: Wouldn't It Be Good, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/15/how-we-made-wouldnt-it-be-good-by-nik-kershaw)
10. [Nik Kershaw: 'Maybe the imposter thing came from my dad', Yorkshire Post](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/nik-kershaw-maybe-the-imposter-thing-came-from-my-dad-8694198)
11. [Nik Kershaw biography and reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4668)
12. [Nik Kershaw, The Mouth Magazine](https://themouthmagazine.com/2012/10/01/nik-kershaw-the-mouthcast/)
13. [News, The Official Nik Kershaw Website](https://www.nikkershaw.net/news/?view=entry)
14. [Interview with Nik Kershaw ahead of Parr Hall show, Warrington Worldwide](https://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2026/06/04/interview-with-pop-icon-nik-kershaw-ahead-of-parr-hall-show/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Pop singers, 1980s and 1990s › Synth-pop and new wave singers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license