Meet the New Drummer for Rush: Anika Nilles

This German born drummer was born in 1983, between The 9th and 10 Rush albums. The new drummer for Rush is nearly half the age of Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson and she is an amazing. Meet Anika Nilles. Check out the short... at the 20 second mark, after a considerably amount of memes, you get a taste of Anika's playing ability.

To be clear, Anika Nilles has been named as the touring drummer for Rush, not a member. Still, this is a spot every drummer would love to have. Personally, I fell in love with Rush and their live shows because watchin Neil Peart was jaw-dropping. Two kits, total precision. The Professor took us to school at every show.

Anika Nilles is hailed as one of the most precise drummers of her generation. Geddy Lee has been watching and talking about her for a while now. Back in November of 2023, in an interview with The Guardian, Lee talked about the great drummers currently on tour. He spoke of Tool's Danny Carey and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith. Then he threw out a lesser known name: "I heard this drummer the other day, I think her name is Anika. She played on the last Jeff Beck tour and I thought was she was terrific."

Anika Nilles (born May 29, 1983 in Aschaffenburg, Germany) is a celebrated drummer, composer, and educator known for her blend of jazz, funk, progressive, and pop influences. She first gained wide attention via YouTube in the early 2010s by releasing original compositions featuring expressive drumming. Her official site calls her career launch “carved out a unique space in the world of music” through technical precision and groove.

Here's one of Anika's video's showcasing her playing:

Anika has toured internationally and has worked with guitar legend Jeff Beck, joining his live band in 2022.

As an educator, Nilles serves as head of the drums department at Germany’s Popakademie Baden-Württemberg and teaches clinics globally (including via Drumeo and Nexus ICA). Her accolades include winning “Best Up and Coming Artist” in the Modern Drummer readers’ poll and being named “#1 Rising Star” in DRUM! magazine.

Anika frequently uses quintuplets and sextuplets layered over backbeats, turning the drum kit into a melodic instrument rather than simply timekeeping. A perfect fit for her title as the new drummer for Rush. Anything that brings the band back out on tour, is great news to me.

Rush recently announced their FIfty Something Tour. Find out more about the concert plans HERE. The tour stops closest to Detroit will be the Chicago and Toronto shows.