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Ladyhawke (band)
Encyclopedia
Phillipa "Pip" Brown better known by her stage name
Ladyhawke, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter
and multi-instrumentalist
. She was formerly a part of the Wellington
-based band Two Lane Blacktop
, named for the 1971 road film of the same name
. Before assuming the name Ladyhawke, she formed the band Teenager
with Nick Littlemore
of Pnau
and Empire of the Sun
. Ladyhawke took her stage name from Richard Donner
's 1985 film of the same name
. She is best known for her hit singles "Paris Is Burning
" and "My Delirium
". Her self-titled debut album
was released on 22 September 2008 on Modular Recordings
and topped the RIANZ Albums Chart
. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2009
, Ladyhawke won Breakthrough Artist in both album and single categories.
, a town in the Wellington Region
of New Zealand. She came from a musical family, with her mother being a singer–guitarist and her stepfather, a jazz
drummer. During her childhood, various illnesses and allergies kept her in and out of hospital. At age ten she contracted erysipeloid
, a disease that is common in seagulls but had not been seen in humans in New Zealand for twenty years. Her allergies to antibiotics, penicillin
and antihistamines
greatly complicated treatment efforts and almost put her into a coma
, and she came close to dying.
Brown has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome
. Brown believes that the large amount of her childhood she spent absorbed in music, be it listening to the radio or to her mother's Beatles
and Pretenders albums, was attributable to this syndrome.
While attending Chanel College
, she played in several grunge
bands. After high school, Brown moved from Masterton to Wellington.
with some friends, playing lead guitar. She describes Two Lane Blacktop as being "like Iggy and The Stooges
meets The Clash
". She cites her experience playing the notorious New York City
club CBGB
with Two Lane Blacktop as being a defining moment. Two Lane Blacktop parted ways when their lead singer and drummer quit the band two days prior to a scheduled tour of Australia with Modey Lemon
, after which they had planned to play at SXSW
in Austin, Texas
. Brown then made the impulsive decision to take her flight to Australia anyway, and she relocated to Melbourne
.
-based musician Nick Littlemore
(of Empire of the Sun
and Pnau
) heard of Brown's move to Australia and asked her if she was interested in joining a band he had started called Teenager
. Brown liked Littlemore's music and decided to join. Brown and Littlemore played together for two years, with Brown relocating to Sydney to be closer to the band, as well as to other people she enjoyed playing and writing music with. Teenager's song "Pony" is featured in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV
.
Still close with Littlemore, Brown decided to leave Teenager to focus on a personal project she had been developing for some time, a persona she had dubbed Ladyhawke. She named herself so after a character played by Michelle Pfeiffer
in the 1985 film of the same name
because she sees herself as "a sort of pop superwoman creating radio-friendly songs with a single bound". Brown says she started Ladyhawke out of a desire to do her own project where she could completely express herself in any way she wanted. She says: "I wanted to make music that could put a smile on peoples faces and give them a feeling of nostalgia even though they may be hearing my songs for the first time. I love how music evokes memories of a certain time, I wanted to see if I could find a method of songwriting that would evoke those feelings from me on writing the song and then on the individual when listening to it for the first time."
Ladyhawke's eponymous debut album Ladyhawke
was released on 22 September 2008 by Modular Recordings
. The album topped the albums chart in New Zealand one year after its release, in October 2009, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
for sales in excess of 15,000 copies. In both Australia and the United Kingdom, it reached number sixteen, and was certified gold. Its biggest hit single was "My Delirium
", which charted inside the top ten in both New Zealand and Australia.
Ladyhawke appeared for the first time in a Triple J Hottest 100
with two entries in the 2008 countdown
; "My Delirium" at number eleven and "Paris Is Burning" at number twenty-six. Pnau's song "Embrace", which features Ladyhawke, was voted in at number twelve. Brown was nominated for an NME Award
for Best Solo Artist.
Ladyhawke is noted as being influenced by 1980s music. Peaches
, to whom Ladyhawke's music has been compared, remixed the single "Paris Is Burning", and the two have performed together, with Peaches taking DJ duties. Ladyhawke's music has also been likened to that of Cyndi Lauper
, Pat Benatar
, Kim Wilde
, Annie and New Young Pony Club
.
She often claims her largest influence is Electric Light Orchestra
, and has stated that their album Time
is one of her favourite albums of all time. Brown also draws inspiration from music of the '90s. "Listening to Nirvana takes me back to being fourteen at the school disco. Bands from the nineties have that effect on me." She has been compared to a wave of '80s-influenced, individualistic androgynous female pop musicians in their twenties who emerged in 2009.
A limited 7-inch
version of "Back of the Van
"—each one hand painted by Sarah Larnach—was sold on eBay
. All proceeds were given to the Parkinsons
Society of New Zealand.
In August 2009 it was announced that she would co-headline a North American tour with Ida Maria
, starting 10 September in Atlanta and concluding 3 October in Los Angeles
. The tour was sponsored by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton
.
In April 2011, Ladyhawke stated that she was preparing to release new material in the following months. Her second album was initially scheduled for an October 2011 release, but in September, a spokesperson stated that it was not due to be released until 2012. It has since been announced that the album is due for release in March 2012.
on "Embrace" from the duo's 2007 self-titled album
, one of their best-known songs.
The Charlatans' Tim Burgess revealed in September 2010 that he is collaborating with Ladyhawke and members of The Horrors
and Klaxons
on his second solo album. "I've been working with Josh [Hayward], the guitarist from The Horrors and Stefan [Halperin], the drummer from the Klaxons and right now we can only do stuff when our other bands aren't doing things. But when we do get together, it's really explosive and it'll be well worth waiting for. I've also got Ladyhawke singing on it."
In 2011, Ladyhawke collaborated with New Zealand singer Nik Brinkman, better known as Junica, on the single "Living in My House". That same year, she remixed American singer Alex Winston
's song "Sister Wife".
sitcom FM
, originally aired 11 March 2009. Also in 2009, Ladyhawke designed Music Inspired Art labels for limited edition bottles of Beck's. Labels were illustrated by Sydney-based artist Sarah Larnach, who lived with Ladyhawke back when she was first getting started on her music career.
s, tight jeans and big boots. Her jeans are slung low enough to reveal boys' underwear. She said, "I don't wear women's clothes because I'd feel like a fraud. It's not just that the cut is all wrong on me, I feel much more of an individual in menswear." She feels that "I don't lose any aspect of my femininity by wearing boys' clothes".
Brown is a fan of video games, describing herself as "a big, big gamer".
ARIA Music Awards
Brit Awards
NME Awards
MTV Australia Awards
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Ladyhawke, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
. She was formerly a part of the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
-based band Two Lane Blacktop
Two Lane Blacktop
Two Lane Blacktop was a hard rock band from Wellington, New Zealand who formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2003. The band wrote all its songs about movies and was named after a 1971 film directed by Monte Hellman...
, named for the 1971 road film of the same name
Two-Lane Blacktop
Two-Lane Blacktop is a 1971 road movie directed by Monte Hellman, starring singer-songwriter James Taylor, Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird. Esquire magazine declared the film its movie of the year for 1971, and even published the entire screenplay in its April, 1971...
. Before assuming the name Ladyhawke, she formed the band Teenager
Teenager (band)
Teenager is an art-rock-punk-dance band consisting of Nick Littlemore and Phillipa "Pip" Brown ....
with Nick Littlemore
Nick Littlemore
Nick Littlemore is an Australian musician and producer, known as frontman of electronic act Pnau and one part of electro pop-duo Empire of the Sun . He is also member of art-rock band Teenager Nick Littlemore is an Australian musician and producer, known as frontman of electronic act Pnau (with...
of Pnau
Pnau
Pnau is an Australian dance music duo originating from Sydney, Australia. The duo consists of musicians Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes...
and Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun (band)
Empire of the Sun is an Australian electronic music duo that formed in 2008. The duo is composed of Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. The two met in 2000 after both being signed to the same record label. Luke and Nick knew that they instantly had a chemistry like no other...
. Ladyhawke took her stage name from Richard Donner
Richard Donner
Richard Donner is an American film director, film producer, and comic book writer.The production company The Donners' Company is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. After directing the horror film The Omen, Donner became famous for the hailed creation of the first modern...
's 1985 film of the same name
Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke is a 1985 fantasy film directed by Richard Donner, starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film marked the second 20th Century Fox film to be co-produced and co-released by Warner Bros.. The first was The Towering Inferno; this time Warner got the U.S...
. She is best known for her hit singles "Paris Is Burning
Paris Is Burning (song)
"Paris Is Burning" is a song by Ladyhawke, taken from her debut self titled album. "Paris Is Burning" is the musician's second single, however it is the first to receive a physical release...
" and "My Delirium
My Delirium
"My Delirium" is a New Wave song performed by New Zealander musician Ladyhawke. The third track on Ladyhawke's eponymous debut album, the song was released as a single on 8 December 2008...
". Her self-titled debut album
Ladyhawke (album)
Ladyhawke is the eponymous debut album by New Zealand recording artist Ladyhawke, released on 22 September 2008 by Modular Recordings. Produced by Pascal Gabriel, Greg Kurstin, Kid Gloves, Kish Mauve's Jim Eliot, Paul Harris and Van She's Michael Di Francesco, the album incorporates...
was released on 22 September 2008 on Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings
Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
and topped the RIANZ Albums Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2009
ARIA Music Awards of 2009
The 23rd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards took place on 26 November 2009 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. The ceremony was telecast on the Nine Network at 8:30pm that night...
, Ladyhawke won Breakthrough Artist in both album and single categories.
Early life
Brown was born in MastertonMasterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
, a town in the Wellington Region
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
of New Zealand. She came from a musical family, with her mother being a singer–guitarist and her stepfather, a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer. During her childhood, various illnesses and allergies kept her in and out of hospital. At age ten she contracted erysipeloid
Erysipeloid
In humans, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae infections most commonly present in a mild cutaneous form known as erysipeloid. E. rhusiopathiae can cause an indolent cellulitis, more commonly in individuals who handle fish and raw meat. It gains entry typically by abrasions in the hand. Bacteremia and...
, a disease that is common in seagulls but had not been seen in humans in New Zealand for twenty years. Her allergies to antibiotics, penicillin
Penicillin
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V....
and antihistamines
Histamine antagonist
A histamine antagonist, commonly referred to as antihistamine, is a pharmaceutical drug that inhibits action of histamine by blocking it from attaching to histamine receptors.- Clinical effects :...
greatly complicated treatment efforts and almost put her into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
, and she came close to dying.
Brown has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
. Brown believes that the large amount of her childhood she spent absorbed in music, be it listening to the radio or to her mother's Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Pretenders albums, was attributable to this syndrome.
While attending Chanel College
Chanel College, Masterton
Chanel College, Masterton is a Catholic secondary school situated in Masterton, New Zealand. The school is named after St Peter Chanel, who was a French Marist priest killed on the Pacific island of Futuna in 1841. The school was established in 1978...
, she played in several grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
bands. After high school, Brown moved from Masterton to Wellington.
Two Lane Blacktop
In Wellington, Brown formed the band Two Lane BlacktopTwo Lane Blacktop
Two Lane Blacktop was a hard rock band from Wellington, New Zealand who formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2003. The band wrote all its songs about movies and was named after a 1971 film directed by Monte Hellman...
with some friends, playing lead guitar. She describes Two Lane Blacktop as being "like Iggy and The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
meets The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
". She cites her experience playing the notorious New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
club CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
with Two Lane Blacktop as being a defining moment. Two Lane Blacktop parted ways when their lead singer and drummer quit the band two days prior to a scheduled tour of Australia with Modey Lemon
Modey Lemon
Modey Lemon is an American garage rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group formed in Pittsburgh's South Oakland neighborhood in 1999 as an informal side project of Dean Swagger, a rock trio that had spent the previous year mainly performing in basements to college party crowds...
, after which they had planned to play at SXSW
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Brown then made the impulsive decision to take her flight to Australia anyway, and she relocated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Teenager
Some time after her move to Melbourne, SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
-based musician Nick Littlemore
Nick Littlemore
Nick Littlemore is an Australian musician and producer, known as frontman of electronic act Pnau and one part of electro pop-duo Empire of the Sun . He is also member of art-rock band Teenager Nick Littlemore is an Australian musician and producer, known as frontman of electronic act Pnau (with...
(of Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun (band)
Empire of the Sun is an Australian electronic music duo that formed in 2008. The duo is composed of Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. The two met in 2000 after both being signed to the same record label. Luke and Nick knew that they instantly had a chemistry like no other...
and Pnau
Pnau
Pnau is an Australian dance music duo originating from Sydney, Australia. The duo consists of musicians Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes...
) heard of Brown's move to Australia and asked her if she was interested in joining a band he had started called Teenager
Teenager (band)
Teenager is an art-rock-punk-dance band consisting of Nick Littlemore and Phillipa "Pip" Brown ....
. Brown liked Littlemore's music and decided to join. Brown and Littlemore played together for two years, with Brown relocating to Sydney to be closer to the band, as well as to other people she enjoyed playing and writing music with. Teenager's song "Pony" is featured in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
.
Ladyhawke
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
in the 1985 film of the same name
Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke is a 1985 fantasy film directed by Richard Donner, starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film marked the second 20th Century Fox film to be co-produced and co-released by Warner Bros.. The first was The Towering Inferno; this time Warner got the U.S...
because she sees herself as "a sort of pop superwoman creating radio-friendly songs with a single bound". Brown says she started Ladyhawke out of a desire to do her own project where she could completely express herself in any way she wanted. She says: "I wanted to make music that could put a smile on peoples faces and give them a feeling of nostalgia even though they may be hearing my songs for the first time. I love how music evokes memories of a certain time, I wanted to see if I could find a method of songwriting that would evoke those feelings from me on writing the song and then on the individual when listening to it for the first time."
Ladyhawke's eponymous debut album Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke (album)
Ladyhawke is the eponymous debut album by New Zealand recording artist Ladyhawke, released on 22 September 2008 by Modular Recordings. Produced by Pascal Gabriel, Greg Kurstin, Kid Gloves, Kish Mauve's Jim Eliot, Paul Harris and Van She's Michael Di Francesco, the album incorporates...
was released on 22 September 2008 by Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings
Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
. The album topped the albums chart in New Zealand one year after its release, in October 2009, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
for sales in excess of 15,000 copies. In both Australia and the United Kingdom, it reached number sixteen, and was certified gold. Its biggest hit single was "My Delirium
My Delirium
"My Delirium" is a New Wave song performed by New Zealander musician Ladyhawke. The third track on Ladyhawke's eponymous debut album, the song was released as a single on 8 December 2008...
", which charted inside the top ten in both New Zealand and Australia.
Ladyhawke appeared for the first time in a Triple J Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll, based on the votes of national Australian radio station Triple J listeners, in order to determine their favourite song of the year. Voting is conducted by the internet and begins roughly two weeks prior to the new year for the previous year's songs...
with two entries in the 2008 countdown
Triple J Hottest 100, 2008
The 2008 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2009. It was the sixteenth countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station, Triple J....
; "My Delirium" at number eleven and "Paris Is Burning" at number twenty-six. Pnau's song "Embrace", which features Ladyhawke, was voted in at number twelve. Brown was nominated for an NME Award
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
for Best Solo Artist.
Ladyhawke is noted as being influenced by 1980s music. Peaches
Peaches (musician)
Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
, to whom Ladyhawke's music has been compared, remixed the single "Paris Is Burning", and the two have performed together, with Peaches taking DJ duties. Ladyhawke's music has also been likened to that of Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
, Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
, Annie and New Young Pony Club
New Young Pony Club
New Young Pony Club are an English electronic band from London, consisting of members from London, Hereford, Cambridge and Bromley. Their influences are prominently from post-punk and New Wave....
.
She often claims her largest influence is Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
, and has stated that their album Time
Time (Electric Light Orchestra album)
Time is a concept album by Electric Light Orchestra released in 1981 through Jet Records. The album tells the story, through its songs and lyrics, about a man from the 1980's finding himself in the year 2095 and trying to come to terms with being unable to return and adjusting to his new...
is one of her favourite albums of all time. Brown also draws inspiration from music of the '90s. "Listening to Nirvana takes me back to being fourteen at the school disco. Bands from the nineties have that effect on me." She has been compared to a wave of '80s-influenced, individualistic androgynous female pop musicians in their twenties who emerged in 2009.
A limited 7-inch
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
version of "Back of the Van
Back of the Van
"Back of the Van" is a song by singer-songwriter Ladyhawke. It was her first single, and was from her debut album Ladyhawke. It was released on 1 April 2008 as a download only single off her website and MySpace. The track was re-released on 18 May 2009 as a limited edition single...
"—each one hand painted by Sarah Larnach—was sold on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
. All proceeds were given to the Parkinsons
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
Society of New Zealand.
In August 2009 it was announced that she would co-headline a North American tour with Ida Maria
Ida Maria
Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen is a Norwegian rock musician known primarily by the stage name Ida Maria. Her first album; Fortress Round My Heart was released in 2008...
, starting 10 September in Atlanta and concluding 3 October in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The tour was sponsored by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
.
In April 2011, Ladyhawke stated that she was preparing to release new material in the following months. Her second album was initially scheduled for an October 2011 release, but in September, a spokesperson stated that it was not due to be released until 2012. It has since been announced that the album is due for release in March 2012.
Collaborations
Ladyhawke collaborated with PnauPnau
Pnau is an Australian dance music duo originating from Sydney, Australia. The duo consists of musicians Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes...
on "Embrace" from the duo's 2007 self-titled album
Pnau (album)
-Awards:*The song "Wild Strawberries" placed at #100 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2007*The song "Embrace" placed at #12 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2008*The song "Baby" placed #54 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2008-External links:***...
, one of their best-known songs.
The Charlatans' Tim Burgess revealed in September 2010 that he is collaborating with Ladyhawke and members of The Horrors
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...
and Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
on his second solo album. "I've been working with Josh [Hayward], the guitarist from The Horrors and Stefan [Halperin], the drummer from the Klaxons and right now we can only do stuff when our other bands aren't doing things. But when we do get together, it's really explosive and it'll be well worth waiting for. I've also got Ladyhawke singing on it."
In 2011, Ladyhawke collaborated with New Zealand singer Nik Brinkman, better known as Junica, on the single "Living in My House". That same year, she remixed American singer Alex Winston
Alex Winston
Alexandra Winston is an American indie pop rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Classically trained in opera, Winston was encouraged by her parents to pursue music.-Biography:...
's song "Sister Wife".
Other pursuits
Ladyhawke appeared as herself in the third episode of the British ITV2ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
sitcom FM
FM (TV series)
FM was a British sitcom which aired on ITV2, starring Chris O'Dowd , Kevin Bishop and Nina Sosanya . The series followed the lives of two DJs and their producer on their FM radio progamme, "Skin 86.5 FM"...
, originally aired 11 March 2009. Also in 2009, Ladyhawke designed Music Inspired Art labels for limited edition bottles of Beck's. Labels were illustrated by Sydney-based artist Sarah Larnach, who lived with Ladyhawke back when she was first getting started on her music career.
Personal life
Brown dresses in men's and boys' clothing. She likes wearing hoodieHoodie
A hoodie is a sweatshirt with a hood. The characteristic design includes large frontal pockets, a hood, and a drawstring to adjust the hood opening. They are sometimes worn with sweatpants. Some hoodies have zippers on them to allow easy removal much like a jacket...
s, tight jeans and big boots. Her jeans are slung low enough to reveal boys' underwear. She said, "I don't wear women's clothes because I'd feel like a fraud. It's not just that the cut is all wrong on me, I feel much more of an individual in menswear." She feels that "I don't lose any aspect of my femininity by wearing boys' clothes".
Brown is a fan of video games, describing herself as "a big, big gamer".
Awards
New Zealand Music AwardsNew Zealand Music Awards
The New Zealand Music Awards show, is a major annual New Zealand music event where musical acts and singers are awarded each year. It has occurred every year since 1965 to outstanding New Zealand musicians and groups....
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Ladyhawke Ladyhawke (album) Ladyhawke is the eponymous debut album by New Zealand recording artist Ladyhawke, released on 22 September 2008 by Modular Recordings. Produced by Pascal Gabriel, Greg Kurstin, Kid Gloves, Kish Mauve's Jim Eliot, Paul Harris and Van She's Michael Di Francesco, the album incorporates... |
Album of the Year | |
| Best Dance/Electronica Album | |||
| "My Delirium My Delirium "My Delirium" is a New Wave song performed by New Zealander musician Ladyhawke. The third track on Ladyhawke's eponymous debut album, the song was released as a single on 8 December 2008... " |
Single of the Year | ||
| Herself | Best Female Solo Artist | ||
| Breakthrough Artist of the Year | |||
| International Achievement Award | |||
| People's Choice Award |
ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 ARIA Music Awards of 2009 The 23rd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards took place on 26 November 2009 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. The ceremony was telecast on the Nine Network at 8:30pm that night... |
Ladyhawke | Breakthrough Artist – Album | |
| Best Pop Release | |||
| Best Cover Art | |||
| "My Delirium" | Single of the Year | ||
| Breakthrough Artist – Single | |||
| Herself | Best Female Solo Artist |
Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 2010 BRIT Awards The 2010 BRIT Awards took place on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV1, hosted by Peter Kay with Fearne... |
Herself | International Female Solo Artist |
NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Herself | Best Solo Artist |
MTV Australia Awards
MTV Australia Awards
The MTV Australia Awards started in 2005 and is Australia's first awards show to celebrate both local and international acts.-History:...
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 MTV Australia Awards 2009 The Vodafone MTV Australia Awards 2009 is the fifth annual MTV Awards show from MTV Australia. The Awards were held on 27 March 2009 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney.-Background information:... |
Herself | Best Kiwi | |
| Independent Spirit |