Anika Nilles: Rush’s New Tour Drummer – Who Is She?

Here’s a breakdown of the information from the text, answering the questions it poses:

Who is Anika Nilles?

* She is a drummer named by DRUM! magazine as the year’s best up-and-coming drummer (in 2015).
* She writes for drum magazines.
* She is a department head at Popakademie Baden-Württemberg,a music conservatory in Germany.
* She performs with her band Nevell.
* She has released four solo albums: Pikalar (2017), For a Colorful Soul (2020), Opunts (2022), and False Truth (2025).

Why did Rush pick her?

* Geddy Lee (Rush’s singer-bassist) heard her playing on the last Jeff Beck tour and was impressed.
* lee’s bass tech, John (Skully) McIntosh, who worked on the Beck tour, also recommended her.
* Lee then found her performances on YouTube and considered her when thinking about playing again.

Were there other candidates?

* Yes, potential candidates included Danny Carey (Tool), Chad Smith (Red Hot chili Peppers), and Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters).They all played with Rush in 2022 at a tribute concert for Taylor hawkins.
* Lee also received many unsolicited offers from other drummers after neil Peart’s death, some of which he described as “inappropriate.”

Was there an audition process?

* The text does not explicitly state whether there was a formal audition process. It onyl mentions Lee “checking her out” on YouTube after hearing recommendations.