Kirsty Hawkshaw

Kirsty Hawkshaw (born 26 October 1969) is an English electronic music vocalist and songwriter. In addition to her work as a solo artist, she is known as the lead vocalist of early 1990s dance group Opus III, and her collaborative work with other musicians and producers.

Kirsty Hawkshaw
Background information
Born (1969-10-26) 26 October 1969
London, England
GenresProgressive house, electronica, house, drum and bass, trance, trip hop
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, producer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1991–present
LabelsCoalition/EastWest, Mainline/EMI, Nettwerk, Magnatune
Associated actsOpus III, Pulusha, Warm, Dubstar, Hybrid (British band)
Websitekirstyhawkshaw.co.uk

Career

Kirsty Hawkshaw is the daughter of the British production music/film music composer and disco record producer Alan Hawkshaw who composed the theme to the Channel 4 weekday afternoon game show Countdown in the early 1980s. Her mother is German-born Christiane Bieberbach.[1]

At a rave in 1990, she was noticed by producers Ian Munro, Kevin Dodds and Nigel Walton, who at the time were known as A.S.K., an offshoot of The Spiral Tribe, who at the time was signed to MCA Records UK and had released a single called "Dream", when she was invited to appear on stage as their dancer. It was through this meeting that they would form a dance act called Opus III. Their first single, a cover version of the song "It's a Fine Day" from their debut album Mind Fruit, was an international success and Top 10 hit on UK Singles Chart,[2] and reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1992. A reversed sample of Hawkshaw's singing from this track was used in the Orbital track "Halcyon", the music video for which featured Hawkshaw. Opus III also had another US number 1 hit on the same chart in 1994 with "When You Made the Mountain", from their second and final album, Guru Mother.

In a 2009 interview, she recalled her decision to end her association with Opus III, saying she felt that she did not want to be part of a "commercialized" act, wanted to go in a different direction, and felt that she did not have sufficient input in writing and production, which led to conflict with the rest of the band; she has also ruled out any plans for a reunion if it ever happens. She has also been critical of the dance music industry more broadly, especially performers lip synching other people's songs, and using original artists' vocals without permission or credit.

After the group broke up in 1994, Hawkshaw pursued a solo career and since then has been in demand by other acts in the dance, house, Eurodance, trance, and electronica community, including Tiësto, Delerium, BT, Fragma, Seba, and Paradox, among others.

Her solo single "Fine Day" peaked at number 62 in the UK Singles Chart in November 2002.[3]

Hawkshaw contributed a track titled "Telephone Song" to the children's compilation album For the Kids Too!, released in 2004.

On 10 October 2005, she released Meta-Message, a collection of older and newer songs, after a growing interest in her out-of-print album, O.U.T.

The record label Magnatune released her ambient album, The Ice Castle, in 2008.

Collaborations
  • 1992 "It's a Fine Day" (with Opus III)
  • 1992 "I Talk to the Wind" (with Opus III)
  • 1994 "When You Made the Mountain" (with Opus III)
  • 1996 "Valencia" (with Rachid Taha)
  • 1997 "Isolation" (with Pulusha)
  • 1998 "State of Grace" (with Swayzak)
  • 1999 "Stereo" (with Stereo People)
  • 2000 "Dreaming" (with BT) – UK No. 38[3]
  • 2000 "Running Down the Way Up" (with BT & Hybrid)
  • 2000 "Nature's Kingdom" (with Delerium)
  • 2000 "Inner Sanctum" (with Delerium)
  • 2000 "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (with Silent Poets)
  • 2000 "Visions" (with Ian Pooley)
  • 2000 "Hidden Agenda" (with Sandor Caron)
  • 2001 "Stealth" (with Way Out West) – UK No. 67
  • 2001 "Battleship Grey" (with Tiësto)
  • 2001 "Urban Train" (with Tiësto) – UK No. 22[3]
  • 2002 "Underwater Lady" (with Harmonic 33)
  • 2003 "Calling You" (with Ikon)
  • 2003 "Blackout" (with Hybrid)
  • 2004 "Just Be" (with Tiësto) – UK No. 43[3]
  • 2004 "Walking on Clouds" (with Tiësto)
  • 2004 "Sincere for You" (with Lange)
  • 2004 "Don't Sleep Tonight" (with Clashing Egos)
  • 2004 "Maris Stella" (with Digitonal)
  • 2005 "Faith in Me" (with Pole Folder)
  • 2005 "Halcyon and on And On (Live)" (with Orbital)
  • 2005 "All I Want" (with Hybrid)
  • 2005 "Reach For Me"
  • 2006 "The Chauffeur" (with Sleepthief)
  • 2006 "Radio Waves" (with Fragma)
  • 2006 "Just for Today" (with Hybrid)
  • 2006 "Fleeting Instant" (with Delerium)
  • 2006 "Outsiders" (with Tenishia)
  • 2006 "The Last One and the First" (with Pentatonik)
  • 2006 "Love is a Rose" (with Pentatonik)
  • 2006 "Don't Look Behind You" (with Judie Tzuke)
  • 2006 "Lyteo" (with Mr. Sam)
  • 2006 "Split" (with Mr. Sam)
  • 2006 "Insight" (with Mr. Sam)
  • 2006 "Lodestar" (with Mr. Sam)
  • 2006 "View to Me" (with Future Funk Squad)
  • 2007 "Silent Stars" (with Pole Folder)
  • 2007 "Skimming Stones" (with Sleepthief)
  • 2007 "Heaven Sent" (with Andrew Bennett)
  • 2007 "Reasons to Forgive" (with Tenishia)
  • 2007 "Loverush" (with Loverush UK!)
  • 2007 "Beatitude" (with Duderstadt)
  • 2007 "The Phoenix Effect" (with Delta-S)
  • 2007 "Star·Kindler" (with Delta-S)
  • 2008 "Juneau / Glaciation" (with Alaska)
  • 2008 "Love Like Blood / Sunbathing" (with Outrage and Aperture)
  • 2008 "Love Calls" (with Headstrong)
  • 2008 "Invisible" (with Tenishia)
  • 2008 "Love is No Possession" (with JJoy)
  • 2008 "Fine Day 2008" (Kirsty Hawkshaw vs. Kinky Roland)
  • 2008 "Good to Be Alive (Healing Angel)" (Kirsty Hawkshaw vs. Arnold T.)
  • 2008 "Invisible Walls" (collaboration with Nektarios and trance singer Jan Johnston) (Nektarios meets F-used)
  • 2009 "Face to Face" (Kirsty Hawkshaw vs. Elucidate)
  • 2010 "A Million Stars" (with BT)
  • 2010 "Sundog" (with Alaska)
  • 2010 "One Day" (with Mr. Sam)
  • 2010 "Two Trees" (with Ulrich Schnauss)
  • 2010 "The Joy (Face to Face)" (with Seba)
  • 2011 "Whisper" (with Blu Mar Ten)
  • 2011 "Back in Time" (with Liquid Kaos)
  • 2012 "Connected" (with John B)
  • 2012 "Dawn" (with Nektarios)
  • 2013 "Let It Go" (with Tobias Zaldua)
  • 2013 "Nothing Can Replace" (with Seba)
  • 2016 "Motion" (with Eshericks)
  • 2018 "The Sandshaper" (with Sleepthief)
  • 2018 "The Wood Beyond the Wall" (with Sleepthief)
  • 2019 "Smoke" (with Trance Arts and Jan Johnston)
  • 2019 “It’s a Fine Day 2K19”

References
  1. The Champ (The Hawk Talks), Alan Hawkshaw autobiography, published 2011.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 408. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 246. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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