Ninush

Nina Lim, known as Ninush, is a British violinist. Gaining prominence through her live work alongside the band Black Country, New Road and other artists, she released a debut solo EP, The Flowers I See You In, on 6 February 2026.

Lim has stated that she started playing the violin at age seven,¹ and that she was given the childhood nickname Ninush or Ninusha by her Polish mother and grandparents; this comes from her first name and the suffix -ush or -usha, which she has said is used in Polish to make names "cuter".²

She studied classical violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama,³ though has stated that she developed "crippling performance anxiety" during this time.¹ She gradually got involved with songwriting as a hobby,² creating a selection of songs for fun with producer Sam Tsang, who showed her music to others.¹ Friends of Lim encouraged her to release her music publicly.²

While she was studying at Guildhall, she was asked to come with the band Black Country, New Road on tour,³ filling in for the band's usual violinist Georgia Ellery in 2022;⁴ these concerts, working with members of the Windmill scene, were Lim's first experiences of playing live music away from her usual classical setting.³ Time in this scene aided her with her anxiety.¹ She became a familiar face among session musicians based in London,⁵ working with artists Holly Humberstone, Little Simz,⁶ Jockstrap, Geordie Greep, as well as more pop-associated acts Jade and Anne-Marie.⁷ In 2025, she supported Shura at Bush Hall. She returned home after touring, spending a solitary period writing music.²

Lim released her first two singles under the moniker Ninush,¹ "The End" and "Stardoll", both of which came from her early songwriting sessions and live experimentation and referencing isolation following her time touring.³ In November 2025, Lim released the single "I Don't Mind", announcing her debut solo EP, The Flowers I See You In. She remarked that it was "the closest [she had] come to writing a pop song".⁶ Its video features the choreographers Foam Sweet Foam.³ On 6 February 2026, the EP became the first release of The Bird Records, a record label set up by Black Country, New Road drummer Charlie Wayne,⁵ as well as Mita De of the record labels Brownswood, Ninja Tune, and Polydor.⁶⁷ Lim drew the album artwork herself, and had her friend Katie Broderick convert it into a lino print.² The album largely features piano and string-led compositions,⁵ and was produced by Sam Tsang.⁷ Lim has cited the score of Poor Things, as well as the soundtracks to Disney films Fantasia and the original Alice in Wonderland as influences for the project. "Tormentor", a song on the EP from which it gets its name, covers Lim's grief for the loss of her father, as do other songs on the project.² Daisy Carter of DIY gave the album four stars, calling it "a project of understated beauty, both full-bodied and feather-light."⁵

Lim's father died when she was at an early age.²