Miki Eleonora Berenyi (born 18 March 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known as a member of the alternative rock band Lush and currently a member of Piroshka and the Miki Berenyi Trio.

Biography

= Early life

= Berenyi was born in Chelsea, London to a Japanese mother, actress Yasuko Nagazumi, and Hungarian father, Ivan Berenyi. She is also a second cousin of the Japanese singer-songwriter Cornelius. Her parents divorced when she was young and Berenyi began to divide her time between her mother and father's separate houses. Berenyi mentions in her autobiography that at her father's house, she was subjected to sexual abuse by her paternal grandmother as well as family friends. At age 14, Berenyi met friend and future bandmate Emma Anderson while both were students at private school Queen's College. They became interested in music and together published a music fanzine, Alphabet Soup (which lasted for five issues). Berenyi first played bass with the band the Bugs. In 1987, Berenyi studied English literature at North London Polytechnic, where she met drummer Chris Acland and singer Meriel Barham. Along with Anderson, they decided to form their own band, originally called the Baby Machines. Bassist Steve Rippon joined and they changed their name to Lush. When Barham left, "the remaining members of Lush placed ads in local papers looking for Barham's replacement, but they couldn't find the singer they wanted and Berenyi took over the vocals".

= Lush

= From 1987 until 1996, she played with Lush, releasing several albums, singles and music videos and toured extensively through the UK, North America, Japan, Australia and other countries. She and Acland also collaborated with members of Cocteau Twins and Moose, releasing one song in 1991 under the name Lillies. Lush officially announced their breakup in February 1998, following Acland's death by suicide in October 1996. After Lush split, Berenyi appeared on The Rentals' album Seven More Minutes (1999). She also contributed vocals to a remix of a Flat 7 track by Robin Guthrie (who also produced Lush's early work) and appeared on Seinking Ships' debut album, Museum Quality Capture, released in 2010. When asked if she missed anything about her time in Lush, Berenyi stated, "I miss the excitement and energy of playing live and the camaraderie of touring—being with the band and crew in a foreign country is like going on holiday with your mates but even more fun because it's free." She also said, "I enjoyed being in the band immensely, I'm glad I did it". Berenyi later worked for a magazine as a sub-editor and did not perform for many years. She explained: "I was never a proper guitarist—only in the context of Lush. I played the guitar to write songs on and to play live". Lush, including Berenyi, announced a reunion on 28 September 2015, with former Elastica drummer Justin Welch taking over for Acland. They toured extensively throughout 2016 and released an EP of new material; "Blind Spot" in April of that year. Bassist Phil King left the band in October 2016 and as a consequence Lush played their final farewell gig, with Michael Conroy of Modern English on bass at Manchester Academy on 25 November 2016. In September 2022, Berenyi's memoir Fingers Crossed, which included her account of Lush's story, was published by Nine Eight Books.

= Piroshka

= In September 2018, Berenyi announced that she had formed a new band, Piroshka, a quartet including Berenyi, Justin Welch (Elastica), Michael Conroy (Modern English) and former Moose member K.J. "Moose" McKillop. Their debut album, Brickbat, was released by Bella Union on 15 February 2019. A second album, Love Drips and Gathers, followed on July 23, 2021. Berenyi and partner McKillop have two children.

= Miki Berenyi Trio

= Berenyi formed the Miki Berenyi Trio (MB3) with her partner Kevin McKillop, guitarist Oliver Cherer, and a drum machine, initially performing reimagned versions of Lush songs at book signings and instore Q&A sessions, music festivals and literary festivals across the UK. On May 8, 2024, MB3 released their debut digital single, "Vertigo”, on Simon Raymonde’s Bella Union label. Before this, the trio’s only recorded output was the exclusive stream-only track "Fingers Crossed," featured in the audiobook version of Berenyi's critically acclaimed memoir Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success. MB3 promoted "Vertigo" with a short 8-date US tour in June 2024, featuring drummers Lol Tolhurst (The Cure) and Budgie (Siouxsie & The Banshees) as support. The tour included an appearance at the Schellraiser Festival in Nevada, a live session for KEXP-FM in Seattle and headline shows at the Fonda Theatre (Los Angeles), and Webster Hall (New York) where Tolhurst and Budgie joined the band on stage for a version of Lush’s "Baby Talk". On December 4, 2024, MB3 released the "Covers" EP, a limited edition 10" vinyl featuring four Lush cover versions; ‘Leaves Me Cold,’ ‘Covert,’ ‘Light From A Dead Star,’ and ‘Baby Talk’ - all original compositions by Berenyi On January 14, 2025, MB3 released a new single, "8th Deadly Sin," and announced the release of their debut album, Tripla. Described as a "richly layered, imaginative and uniquely slanted strain of dream pop,” the album blends euphoric and melancholic elements of guitars and electronica, fronted by Berenyi’s instantly recognisable vocals. The 9-track album will be released in multiple formats from April 4, 2025, via Bella Union, including a limited edition yellow splatter vinyl with a bonus 7" featuring two non-album tracks, "Touche" and "Last Orders," and a limited edition 11-track CD, only available through Rough Trade in the UK and US.

Influences

In 2020, Berenyi cited The Shangri-Las as an influence for their harmonies and lyrics. She has also cited ABBA and The Smiths as influences.

Discography

= Lush

= Scar (mini-LP) – October 9, 1989 Mad Love EP – February 26, 1990 Black Spring EP – October 7, 1991 Spooky – January 27, 1992 Hypocrite EP – May 30, 1994 Desire Lines EP – May 30, 1994 Split – June 13, 1994 Lovelife – March 5, 1996 Blind Spot EP – April 15, 2016

= Piroshka

= Brickbat – February 15, 2019 Love Drips and Gathers – July 23, 2021

= Miki Berenyi Trio

= Tripla – April 4, 2025

Books

Berenyi, Miki (2022). Fingers Crossed. Nine Eight Books. ISBN 9781788705554. OCLC 1418972247.

References