Kody Nielson

Carl Kody Nielson (born 9 May, 1982), also known by his musical stage name Silicon, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter, musician, and producer, best known as a former vocalist and member of the art punk band The Mint Chicks.

Nielson performed with The Mint Chicks throughout the 2000s alongside his brother, Ruban Nielson, releasing three albums. The band's 2006 release Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!, for which Nielson was both a performer, producer, and engineer, went gold and won in several categories in the 2007 Aotearoa Music Awards, including best rock album and album of the year. The group abruptly disbanded in 2010.

In 2011, Nielson formed Opossom with his partner and fellow musician Bic Runga, and former bandmate Michael Logie, releasing their debut album Electric Hawaii the following year. The band went on hiatus shortly after due to his family commitments and Runga's other projects, prompting Nielson to go solo. In 2013, Nielson released Devils, a 6-track instrumental album. In 2015, Nielson began his solo career as a singer-songwriter under the pseudonym Silicon, with the release of Personal Computer, which won the 2016 Taite Music Prize.

Since 2018, Nielson has reunited with his brother as a member of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and has continued to work on his solo projects, including Birthday Suite (2018) and Birthday Suite Vol. II (2021), a collection of abstract instrumental albums released under his name. In addition to his bands and projects, Nielson is also an accomplished producer and writer and has collaborated on a number of albums by other artists, including The Adults, King Kapisi, the Finn Brothers, and Bic Runga, to name some.

Early life Carl Kody Nielson was born on 9 May, 1982 in North Shore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. and Deedee Aipolani Nielson, who is Hawaiian (Kānaka Maoli) and was crowned Miss Aloha Hula in 1974. Nielson holds dual citizenship with New Zealand and America. Nielson's older brother, Ruban Nielson, is also a musician. He has described their upbringing as difficult due to their father's alcoholism and heroin addiction, and the separation of their parents.

Career

2001–2010: The Mint Chicks

In 2001, Nielson and his brother formed a punk band at high school, performing gigs in Auckland. The band became The Mint Chicks and was soon signed to Flying Nun Records. They released three EPs and three albums: Octagon, Octagon, Octagon EP (2003), Anti-Tiger EP (2004), Fuck the Golden Youth (2005), Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! (2006), Screens (2009), and Bad Buzz (2010). In New Zealand, The Mint Chicks were a critical and commercial success; the album Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! won five awards at the 2007 Aotearoa Music Awards, including best rock album and album of the year, and was certified gold.

The Mint Chicks had a reputation for being provocative with chaotic shows, in part due to the tension between Nielson and Ruban, By this time, Runga and Nielson were in a romantic relationship.

Nielson and Ruban began repairing their relationship in 2011. Opossom briefly toured with Ruban's new project, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, in a series of New Zealand shows. The album was described as "bright, clear psychedelia" and "sleekly designed indie pop" by Jayson Greene of Pitchfork.

Opossom was unable to continue into a full-time act due to Runga's other career projects and the couple's commitments to their children, and the band was put on hiatus.

2014–present: Silicon and Unknown Mortal Orchestra In 2014, Nielson reunited with his brother and worked on Unknown Mortal Orchestra's album Multi-Love (2015). The album reached 22 on the New Zealand album charts and spent 5 weeks on the top 20 Aotearoa albums charts, peaking at 4. Nielson toured in Auckland, London, Paris and Amsterdam, with multi-instrumentalist Julien Dyne helping play the music live. That same year, Nielson signed on to join Unknown Mortal Orchestra, returning to playing with Ruban in an official capacity some eight years after The Mint Chicks.

In addition to music, Nielson also creates visual art, including painting 40 works for Personal Computer. Birthday Suite Vol. II (2021) "Burning Sugar" (2015) "Ruban's Birthday" (2018)

With Bic Runga and Chris Nielson as Opossom

Electric Hawaii (2012)