Shane Nicholson is an Australian singer-songwriter from Brisbane in Queensland. Nicholson first appeared on the music scene through a band, called Freak, which formed in his last year of high school. The band went on to win the first round of the Triple J Unearthed competition in the Sunshine Coast division. Shortly after this, the band name changed to Pretty Violet Stain and released an EP in 1997 called Blush and the album Parachutes and Gravity in 2000. Both releases had minor hit songs on radio stations around the country, such as "Blush" and "Never Come Down".