Wayne Coyne, the singer of the American rock band, praised her and cried during the band's concert in Portland, according to NME.
In 2019, The Flaming Lips noticed a 12-year-old dressed as "a parrot" who returned with her parents to the front row during concerts. Eventually, they got in touch.
When Nell Smith turned 14, she sent a recording of her own cover versions of Nick Cave songs to The Flaming Lips, who decided to contribute instrumentally.
Their joint cover album "Where the viaduct looms" was released in 2021 and received praise from, among others, Nick Cave, who praised Nell Smith's version of "Girl in amber".
Nell Smith had since then gotten a contract with Bella Union, run by Simon Raymonde from Cocteau Twins. At the beginning of next year, she was to release her first solo album.
She died in connection with a traffic accident in British Columbia. Her parents express their sorrow on social media.
