Anika Nilles spent a year learning 40 Rush songs

27.10.2026 12:19 HotInfo

Rush singer and bassist Geddy Lee discovered German drummer Anika Nilles on YouTube. "She's so interesting, she has charisma, a distinctive presence and class," he told Rolling Stone magazine. Together with guitarist Alex Lifeson, they invited her to a studio in Toronto last year to play a few Rush songs with them, and that led to her taking the drum seat on a major world tour. Neil Peart, who died in 2020, is "irreplaceable," according to Lee. During a year of rehearsals, Nilles learned 40 demanding songs by the band. Rolling Stone ↗

The forty-three-year-old musician has played drums since childhood, but her parents wanted her to have a more secure profession. She studied social work and worked at a kindergarten. It wasn't until she was 26 that she returned to music school, her videos spread across the internet, and a solo career followed along with a tour with Jeff Beck. It was there that Lee's bass technician John "Skully" McIntosh first saw her. Rolling Stone ↗

In the interview, she describes Tom Sawyer as the hardest song, which is usually the last one in the set most evenings. To get the right feel, she had to abandon wrist-based technique and play more with forearm strength. She considers one of the drum fills in it to be the most iconic one of all. About her role, she says: "I have no ego, so I play what's needed." Before taking the job, she knew the band mainly through Peart and the songs Tom Sawyer and Limelight. Rolling Stone Italia ↗

The interview came after the tour's first four concerts in Los Angeles. Peart's widow Carrie and daughter Olivia were present at the first two of them. Nilles received a heartfelt message from Carrie even before the concert. She hopes her engagement will open doors for other female musicians, especially drummers. Rolling Stone ↗