{{Short description|English economist and musician}} {{Infobox person | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1989|11|1}} | birth_place = London, England | name = Neil Amin-Smith | image = Milan Neil Amin-Smith.jpg | caption = Amin-Smith performing in 2013 | birth_name = Milan Neil Amin-Smith | other_names = Neil Milan | occupation = Special Adviser, economist | education = Westminster School | alma_mater = Jesus College, Cambridge (BA, MPhil) | module = {{Infobox musical artist |embed = yes |genre = {{hlist|Electronic|classical crossover| electropop|dance-pop}} |origin = London, England |years_active = 2008–2016, 2025 |instruments = Violin, piano |past_member_of = Clean Bandit }} }} '''Milan Neil Amin-Smith''' (born 1 November 1989), also known as '''Neil Milan''',<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-37703642</ref> is a British political adviser, economist and musician who currently serves as a senior Special Adviser to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves.
Amin-Smith co-founded pop group Clean Bandit in 2008 with Grace Chatto, Luke and Jack Patterson; he featured on the band's debut album ''New Eyes'' (2014), including the Grammy Award-winning single "Rather Be", which spent four weeks at number one in the UK and sold over 1.1 million copies, before departing the band in 2016.
==Early life== Amin-Smith was born and grew up in North London.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/clean-bandit-on-cambridge-being-shameless-and-turning-down-mi6/|title=Clean Bandit on Cambridge, being shameless, and turning down MI6|first=Charlie|last=Parrish|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=21 July 2015|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|url-access=subscription}}</ref> His maternal family are of East African Gujarati origin; his sister Maya currently works as a producer, director and football podcaster, mainly women's football.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07npvfh|title=Grunwick Changed Me|work=BBC Radio 4|date=17 August 2016|accessdate=23 October 2025}}</ref> Along with childhood friend and future bandmate Grace Chatto, Amin-Smith attended Westminster School where he was taught by Sinan Savaskan.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> He subsequently went up to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he met Jack Patterson, Chatto's boyfriend at the time, and Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka (Love Ssega), forming Clean Bandit with the three of them and Patterson's brother Luke.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> Amin-Smith graduated from Cambridge with a BA in History and later an MPhil in Economics in 2013, at which point he turned down job offers from the Foreign Office and MI6 to pursue a musical career with the group.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/>
==Musical career== {{Main|Clean Bandit}}
Amin-Smith primarily played violin with Clean Bandit on their debut album ''New Eyes'' (2014), which featured the singles "A+E", "Mozart's House", "Dust Clears", "Extraordinary" and "Come Over", as well as the group's breakout single "Rather Be" featuring Jess Glynne, which begins with a violin solo from Amin-Smith; he additionally featured in each single's corresponding music video.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/clean-bandits-rather-be-hits-1-million-uk-sales-3288/|title=Clean Bandit's Rather Be hits 1 million UK sales!|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=29 September 2014}}</ref> Released in January 2014, "Rather Be" spent four weeks at number one in the UK, selling over 1.1 million copies since its release, and later won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://headlineplanet.com/home/2015/02/08/grammys-clean-bandits-rather-wins-best-dance-recording/|title=GRAMMYS: Clean Bandit's "Rather Be" Wins Best Dance Recording|work=Headline Planet|date=8 February 2015 |access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-biggest-selling-singles-of-2014-so-far-3163/|title=The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles of 2014 so far!|publisher=Official Charts Company|first=Rob|last=Copsey|date=1 October 2014|access-date=1 October 2014}}</ref> He additionally played violin in Band Aid 30's cover of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in September 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Band Aid 30: One Direction among celebrity line-up|newspaper=Telegraph|date=10 November 2014|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11220735/Band-Aid-30-line-up-revealed.html}}</ref>
Amin-Smith's final contribution to the band as a regular member came with the single "Tears", released in May 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sugarscape.com/music/news/a1089698/louisa-johnson-clean-bandit-tears/|title=The X Factor's Louisa Johnson's first single to be Clean Bandit collaboration 'Tears'|author1=Smith, Carl |author2=Cox, Lizzie |date=27 May 2016|publisher=Sugarscape.com|access-date=22 July 2016}}</ref> In October that year, he announced he would be leaving the band in a statement on Twitter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/neil_milan/status/788681468121870336|title=Neil Milan on Twitter|publisher=Twitter|access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/clean-bandit-announce-neil-amin-smiths-departure-from-the-band__16699/|title=Clean Bandit announce Neil Amin-Smith's departure from the band|date=21 October 2016|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=9 December 2016}}</ref>
In April 2025, having not recorded with Clean Bandit for nearly nine years, Amin-Smith returned to play violin on the single "Tell Me Where U Go", featuring Tiësto and Leony.<ref>{{Citation |title=Tell Me Where U Go by Clean Bandit, Tiësto & Leony |date=2025-04-11 |url=https://music.apple.com/gb/song/tell-me-where-u-go/1810251360 |access-date=2025-10-21 |publisher=Apple Music |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Political career==
After leaving Clean Bandit in 2016, Amin-Smith joined the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), an economic think tank, as a research economist.<ref name="politico">{{Cite web |date=2024-09-23 |title='He's a very, very handsome man': Meet the ex-pop star turning heads in the UK Treasury |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/neil-amin-smith-popstar-clean-bandit-uk-treasury-labour-party-economic-council/ |access-date=2025-10-21 |website=POLITICO |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2019, he left the IFS to join HM Treasury as a senior policy adviser, before becoming an adviser to Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, in 2022.<ref name="politico"/> Upon the Labour Party's victory in the 2024 general election, Amin-Smith became a senior Special Adviser to Reeves, now Chancellor of the Exchequer.<ref name="politico" /> He was appointed to Reeves' Economic Advisory Council, in charge of policy affecting the City of London.<ref name="evening">{{Cite web |last=France |first=Anthony |date=2025-08-27 |title=All rise for the sexiest Londoner: Reeves aide Neil Amin-Smith tops 'hot 100' list |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/100-sexiest-londoners-list-standard-neil-amin-smith-leah-williamson-b1244522.html |access-date=2025-10-21 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Partington |first=Richard |date=2024-07-11 |title=Rachel Reeves to announce economic advisory council to boost UK growth |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/11/rachel-reeves-to-announce-economic-advisory-council-to-boost-uk-growth |access-date=2025-10-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
Amin-Smith's rise to prominence was attributed by ''Politico'' in 2024 to his "sharp political acumen" and "keen intelligence", and he was described as "eloquent and personable".<ref name="politico"/> In 2025, he topped ''The Standard'''s list of "100 Sexiest Londoners", being described as Reeves' "most trusted special advisor".<ref name="evening" />
==Personal life== Amin-Smith is an lifelong supporter of Premier League football club Chelsea, while his sister supports Arsenal instead.<ref>https://x.com/neil_milan/status/863145492162674688</ref> He was in a relationship with musician and actor Olly Alexander of Years & Years for about a year,<ref name="politico"/><ref>https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/02/12/olly-alexander-reunited-with-ex-boyfriend-after-10-years/</ref> before they split up late in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/olly-alexander-tells-attitude-why-he-and-neil-milan-have-called-it-a-day/9040/|title=Olly Alexander tells Attitude why he and Neil Milan have called it a day|date=3 December 2015|work=Attitude.co.uk|access-date=29 August 2018|archive-date=29 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829175438/https://attitude.co.uk/article/olly-alexander-tells-attitude-why-he-and-neil-milan-have-called-it-a-day/9040/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/musicnews/olly-alexander-almost-quit-years-years-after-public-break-1176578.html</ref>
==Discography== {{main|Clean Bandit discography}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Clean Bandit}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Amin-Smith, Neil}} Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Category:British Asian musicians Category:English violinists Category:People educated at Westminster School, London Category:English electronic musicians Category:English people of Gujarati descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from London Category:21st-century British violinists Category:LGBTQ people from London Category:1989 births