Sophie B. Hawkins
Sophie Ballantine Hawkins (born November 1, 1964)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, musician and painter. Born in New York City, she attended the Manhattan School of Music for a year as a percussionist before leaving to pursue a music career.[2] She achieved critical and commercial success with her first two albums, producing a string of single hits including "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover", "Right Beside You", and "As I Lay Me Down". A dispute with her record label Sony Music over her third album, Timbre, led her to establish her own independent label, Trumpet Swan Productions, which has published her subsequent recordings.
Sophie B. Hawkins
Sophie Ballantine Hawkins
November 1, 1964
New York City, New York, U.S.
Singer-songwriter
Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, drums
1990–present
Hawkins is a long-time supporter of animal rights and environmental causes. She is also a social and political activist, supporting events promoting women in music and LGBT rights.
Career[edit]
Hawkins's debut album, Tongues and Tails, was released in 1992.[3] It achieved both worldwide commercial success and critical acclaim, earning her a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist in 1993. The single "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US and was also a Top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at #14.[3] Hawkins was asked to perform Bob Dylan's "I Want You", which she covered on Tongues and Tails, for the 1992 Madison Square Garden concert honoring Dylan's 30th anniversary as a musician;[4] this was later released as The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, but her performance was omitted.
Whaler, her second album, was released in 1994. Produced by Stephen Lipson, it also contained a US top 10 hit, "As I Lay Me Down",[3] and was certified gold. Three singles from the album made the UK Top 40, including "Right Beside You", which peaked at #13. The same year, Hawkins posed nude for Interview.[5] As she explained to Ed Rampell in an interview for Q magazine, she met the photographer, Bruce Weber, and was asked if she would do a photoshoot with him. While she had provided her own clothes, Weber deliberately had her wear an unflattering dress as part of his plan to convince Hawkins to disrobe during the shoot.[6]
A 1998 documentary by Gigi Gaston, titled The Cream Will Rise, followed Hawkins during one of her tours and captured her struggle to deal with past troubles with her family, including her mother and brother. Music by Hawkins was included throughout the film.
Also in 1998, Hawkins's record company, Sony Music, delayed the release of her third album. Its executives were unhappy with the finished product and wanted Hawkins to rework some of the material. In particular, they insisted that Hawkins remove a banjo track from one of the songs.[7] Unwilling to compromise her artistic integrity, Hawkins refused to accommodate them.[2] After a lengthy battle between Hawkins and the company, the album, Timbre, was eventually released in 1999,[3] though Sony declined to promote it. Hawkins subsequently left the label and founded her own label, Trumpet Swan Productions. In 2001, Timbre was re-released on Hawkins's label, now as a two-disc set that contained new songs, demos, remixes, and videos.[8] Her first independently recorded and released album, Wilderness, was released in 2004.
In 2012, Hawkins starred as Janis Joplin in the play, Room 105,[9] which was written and directed by her longtime girlfriend and manager, Gigi Gaston.[10] After another long hiatus, she released her fifth album of all-new material in 2012, titled The Crossing.
On April 4, 2013, Hawkins appeared as herself on the TV series Community in the episode "Herstory of Dance", performing "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" and "As I Lay Me Down" during the community college's "Sophie B. Hawkins Dance," so named because Britta confused her with Susan B. Anthony in an attempt to compete with a Sadie Hawkins Dance.[11]
In 2019, Hawkins completed a sold-out tour around the U.S.;[12] the same year she also appeared on the German TV show Night Grooves,[13] singing several songs, discussing her past, and showing off her drumming talent.
