"Serious are proud to announce the participants for the seventeenth edition of their prestigious talent development scheme Take Five"

★★★★ "All the while, Smith circles, the embodiment of the kestrel... She becomes only more ethereal as she sings dreamy renditions of The Girl from Ipanema and It Might as Well Be Spring. Her voice is exquisite, a symbol of unreachable beauty."

★★★★ "Nishla Smith's haunting, ethereal, voice is used sparsely. But the brevity and beauty of her singing interludes showers hope..."

★★★★ "Suffusing the entirety of the show is the presence of Nishla Smith. Her lilting musicality lifts this piece to an ethereal level..."

★★★★ "The addition of Nishla Smith’s Singer is an inspired move. Her voice and presence often lift scenes into another dimension."

★★★★ "From the title track’s metaphorical flights of fancy and the heart-melting delicacy of ‘Julian’, to the uplifting, instantly memorable ‘Up’, Smith’s meticulously observed songs compel the attention."

★★★★ “Smith’s voice is at times sweet, at times affectless, and on the title track sightless reminiscent of Billie Holiday”

★★★★ "(Nishla Smith's) striking album/ art book/ video performance concept 'Friends With Monsters' combines the whimsical, the poignant and the slightly sinister..."

"While Smith’s singing is an entrancing beauty of its own, the true trump cards are the lyrics and melodies."

"An impressive debut from a new talent worth watching."

★★★★ "...One of the most interesting collections of original jazz based song writing that I’ve heard in a while."

★★★★ "Smith’s voice slips between Holiday-esque slinky sensuality... to winsome warmth..."