Anika Nilles takes over Department Drums at Popakademie

"Anika is one of the internationally outstanding drummers we have now been able to recruit to head the drum department, having already been a fixture as a lecturer in the degree program and in the World Drum Festival in recent years. She further develops the position I took over as Department Chief and creates a new perspective on current drumming," said Prof. Udo Dahmen.

"I am very much looking forward to my new role as Department Chief and to being able to work with the students even more intensively in the future. Udo has created and shaped this position with a lot of passion and great dedication. I am following in big footsteps! Thank you Udo, for your trust," said Anika Nilles.

Anika Nilles has made a name for herself in the international drumming scene over the past eight years. Her unmistakable sound and playing style as well as her own compositions, which move between pop/rock, funk and jazz, inspire drummers worldwide. With over 20 million clicks on her Youtube performances she opened the "modern age" of the next generation of drummers.

Her latest album "for a colorful Soul" made it directly into the "iTunes top 40 Top jazz releases" chart in the USA, reaching #3. She has toured Europe, Asia, Russia and North America as a solo artist. In addition to her own music, which she tends to carry into the jazz scene with her band, she has also worked as a studio and session musician with Michael League, Nate Werth, Namika, Casandra Steen, Ken Aihara, Jim Peterik and many others.

In 2020 she published her first instructional book through Alfred Music Publishing and is a contributing writer for the German drum magazine Drums & Percussion.

More about Anika Nilles: www.anikanilles.com