Number of shows i’ve seen through my lens: 2 shows
Photographed in (years): 2019, 2022
Venues: TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht
Born: 1975
Born in: Denmark
Instrument: Bass
Nicknames: Bass Ida, Bassida, Ida Funkhouser
Bands: New Power Generation, 3rdeyegirl, Ida Nielsen & The Funk Bots
Ida Kristine Nielsen is born in 1975 and started playing electric bass since 1991. After practicing for 2 years she went to the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen to study electric bass. She studied there from 1993 to 1998 perfecting her abilities on the bass. After her study she played as many live shows as she could and played with every band that would have her. She had the most success with her own show and got the change to release an album in 2008, 10 years after she finished school. With her album, Marmelade, she could show what a great bass player she is and the album was very well received.
Ida’s debut album brought her to the attention of many people, probably the most important of all: Prince. He heard her album and was very impressed, inviting her to join The New Power Generation in 2010. The New Power Generation, with Ida, was Prince’s live band from 2010 to 2013. Ida was learning a lot from the musical genius that Prince was but she never forgot her solo career and released her second album, Sometimes a Girl Needs Some Sugar Too, in 2011. The album was recorded and released while she was on the Welcome 2 America world tour with Prince.
In 2013 Prince decided to stop working with the New Power Generation and started a new band.
Ida Nielsen with the New Power Generation in 2022
In 2013 Prince started a new band with 3 female musicians: Ida Nielsen (bass), Hannah Welton (drums) and Donna Grantis (guitar) naming them 3rdeyegirl. On September 30, 2014 the band released their debut album Plectrumelectrum. The album was very well received worldwide but remains the only album 3rdeyegirl has released. Ida, Hannah and Donna also joined Prince on his 2014-2015 Hit N Run tour. A year later Prince went on a tour all by himself and passed away a week after the tour had finished. In that same year, 2016, Ida released her third album, Turnitup, and dedicated the album to Prince.
Since the passing of Prince Ida formed the Funk Bots and tours through Europe on a very regular basis. Sometimes she also plays with the NPG when her tour schedule permits. Ida has clearly found her way and her music and you can hear that on her albums but even more so live. In 2019 she released her fourth studio album: Time 2 Stop Worrying and a year later another studio album 02022020 was released.