Editing Sophie B. Hawkins

{{Short description|American musician}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name             = Sophie B. Hawkins
| image            = Sophie B Hawkins.jpg
| caption          = Hawkins in 2006
| background       = solo_singer
| birth_name       = Sophie Ballantine Hawkins
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1964|11|01}}
| birth_place      = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| genre            = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[pop music|pop]], [[pop rock]]
| occupation       = Singer-songwriter
| instrument       = Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, drums
| years_active     = 1990–present
| label            = {{flatlist|
* [[Sony BMG]]
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
* [[Rykodisc]]
* [[Trumpet Swan]]}}
| website          = {{URL|sophiebhawkins.com}}
}}

'''Sophie Ballantine Hawkins''' (born November 1, 1964)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/09/sophie-b-hawkins-pregnant-girl_n_6647884.html |title=Singer Sophie B. Hawkins, 50, Is Pregnant With Second Child |work=The Huffington Post |first=Cavan |last=Sieczkowski |date=February 9, 2015 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |access-date=February 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305071354/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/09/sophie-b-hawkins-pregnant-girl_n_6647884.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://sophiebhawkins.com/bio/|title=About Sophie B. Hawkins|website=Sophiebhawkins.com|access-date=December 8, 2019|archive-date=January 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120022524/https://sophiebhawkins.com/bio/|url-status=dead}}</ref>  In the 1990s, 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 (Sophie B. Hawkins song)|Right Beside You]]", and "[[As I Lay Me Down]]". A dispute with her record label [[Sony Music]] over her third album, ''[[Timbre (album)|Timbre]]'', led her to establish her own independent label, '''Trumpet Swan Productions''', which has published her subsequent recordings.

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==
Hawkins's debut album, ''[[Tongues and Tails]],'' was released in 1992.<ref name="Larkin90">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2000|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0427-8|pages=187/8}}</ref> 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 number 5 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] singles chart in the US and was also a Top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 14.<ref name="Larkin90"/> Hawkins was asked to perform Bob Dylan's "[[I Want You (Bob Dylan song)|I Want You]]", which she had covered on ''Tongues and Tails,'' for the 1992 [[Madison Square Garden]] concert honoring Dylan's 30th anniversary as a musician;<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rubio|first=Dave Gil de|date=May 9, 2019|title=Sophie B. Hawkins: An Artist For All Seasons|url=https://portwashington-news.com/sophie-b-hawkins-an-artist-for-all-seasons/|access-date=August 13, 2021|website=Port Washington News|language=en-US|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813160945/https://portwashington-news.com/sophie-b-hawkins-an-artist-for-all-seasons/|url-status=live}}</ref> this was later released as ''[[The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration]]'', but her performance was omitted.

''[[Whaler (album)|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]]",<ref name="Larkin90"/> and was certified [[RIAA certification|gold]]. Three singles from the album made the UK Top 40, including "[[Right Beside You (Sophie B. Hawkins song)|Right Beside You]]", which peaked at number 13. The same year, Hawkins posed nude for ''[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]''.<ref>''[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]'', February 1994, volume 24 n2, p. 122</ref> As she explained to Ed Rampell in an interview for ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine, she met the photographer, [[Bruce Weber (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.<ref name=sophie />

A 1998 documentary by [[Gigi Gaston]], ''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.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 20, 1999|title=Medusa and Childe|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/1999/07/20/medusa-and-childe/|access-date=August 13, 2021|website=The Village Voice|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813160945/https://www.villagevoice.com/1999/07/20/medusa-and-childe/|url-status=live}}</ref> Unwilling to compromise her artistic integrity, Hawkins refused to accommodate them.<ref name=":0" /> After a lengthy battle between Hawkins and the company, the album, ''[[Timbre (album)|Timbre]],'' was eventually released in 1999,<ref name="Larkin90"/> though Sony declined to promote it.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} 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, [[remix]]es, and videos.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|title=Review: Sophie B. Hawkins, Timbre|website=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=November 19, 2002|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/sophie-b-hawkins-timbre/|access-date=August 13, 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=November 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125022512/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/sophie-b-hawkins-timbre/|url-status=live}}</ref> Her first independently recorded and released album, ''[[Wilderness (Sophie B. Hawkins album)|Wilderness]],'' was released in 2004.

In 2012, Hawkins starred as [[Janis Joplin]] in the play, ''Room 105,''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sophiebhawkins.com/archives/17174 |title=Sell Out Hit – Room 105 is Extended through December 30th! |website=Sophiebhawkins.com |access-date=November 19, 2012 |archive-date=October 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023120003/http://sophiebhawkins.com/archives/17174 |url-status=live }}</ref> which was written and directed by her longtime girlfriend and manager, [[Gigi Gaston]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|last2=|last3=|first3=|last4=|last5=|last6=|last7=|last8=|first8=|last9=|date=October 7, 2012|title=Sophie B. Hawkins channels Janis Joplin's spirit in 'Room 105'|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-xpm-2012-oct-07-la-et-cm-janis-joplin-room-105-20121008-story.html|access-date=August 13, 2021|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813160944/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-xpm-2012-oct-07-la-et-cm-janis-joplin-room-105-20121008-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After another long hiatus, she released her fifth album of all-new material in 2012, titled ''[[The Crossing (Sophie B. Hawkins album)|The Crossing]]''.

On April 4, 2013, Hawkins appeared as herself on the TV series ''[[Community (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 the character “Britta” confused her with [[Susan B. Anthony]] in an attempt to compete with a [[Sadie Hawkins Dance]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Community Recap: The Ultimate Britta|url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/04/community-recap-season-4-herstory-of-dance-sophie-b-hawkins.html|access-date=August 13, 2021|website=Vulture|date=April 5, 2013|language=en-us|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813160946/https://www.vulture.com/2013/04/community-recap-season-4-herstory-of-dance-sophie-b-hawkins.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2019, Hawkins completed a sold-out tour around the U.S.;<ref>{{Cite web|last=|title=About Sophie B. Hawkins - Sophie B. Hawkins|url=https://sophiebhawkins.com/bio/|access-date=August 13, 2021|website=Sophiebhawkins.com|language=en-US|archive-date=January 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120022524/https://sophiebhawkins.com/bio/|url-status=dead}}</ref> the same year she also appeared on the German TV show ''Night Grooves'',<ref>{{Cite web|first=|date=March 30, 2019|title=Night Grooves - with Sophie B. Hawkins and Ivy Quainoo|url=https://www.dw.com/en/night-grooves-with-sophie-b-hawkins-and-ivy-quainoo/av-48127467|access-date=August 13, 2021|website=Deutsche Welle (dw.com)|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813160944/https://www.dw.com/en/night-grooves-with-sophie-b-hawkins-and-ivy-quainoo/av-48127467|url-status=live}}</ref> singing several songs, discussing her past, and showing off her drumming talent.

==Personal life==
Hawkins has two children, Dashiell (b. 2008) and Esther Ballantine (b. 2015).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/parents/sophie-b-hawkins-welcomes-daughter-esther-ballantine/|title=Sophie B. Hawkins Welcomes Daughter Esther Ballantine|publisher=people.com|date=July 10, 2015|access-date=December 24, 2018|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225130107/https://people.com/parents/sophie-b-hawkins-welcomes-daughter-esther-ballantine/|url-status=live}}</ref> Esther had been conceived 20 years earlier and frozen as an embryo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/parents/sophie-b-hawkins-pregnant-second-child-daughter/|title=Baby Girl on the Way for Sophie B. Hawkins - at 50!|publisher=people.com|date=February 26, 2015|access-date=December 4, 2018|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225175142/https://people.com/parents/sophie-b-hawkins-pregnant-second-child-daughter/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In an interview with [[The Howard Stern Show|Howard Stern]], Hawkins said that she identified as omnisexual. Although there were rumors she had dated [[Martina Navratilova]] and [[Jodie Foster]], she denied those, saying, "I've never met any of the women I'm supposed to have had affairs with."<ref name=sophie>Sutcliffe, Phil (January 1995). "Sophie B Hawkins interview." ''[[Q (magazine)|Q Magazine]],'' issue 100.</ref>

In 2012, Hawkins and [[Gigi Gaston]] shared a house in Venice, California.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://la.curbed.com/2012/5/9/10373096/sophie-b-hawkins-and-gigi-gaston-selling-their-venice-spanish-1 | title=Sophie B. Hawkins and Gigi Gaston Selling Their Venice Spanish | date=May 9, 2012 | access-date=November 26, 2023 | archive-date=November 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126033246/https://la.curbed.com/2012/5/9/10373096/sophie-b-hawkins-and-gigi-gaston-selling-their-venice-spanish-1 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Politics===
In August 2007, Hawkins headlined the first [[Los Angeles Women's Music Festival]] in support of its dual agenda of supporting animal rescue groups and promoting and supporting female musicians. Hawkins is a long-time supporter of animal rights.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lawmf.com/ |title=Los Angeles Women's Music Festival official website |publisher=Lawmf.com |access-date=February 4, 2010 |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408170531/http://www.lawmf.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 2008, Hawkins re-recorded her song "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" as "Damn, We Wish You Were President" in support of presidential candidate [[Hillary Clinton]]. Hawkins also wrote in her blog, "Hillary Clinton's achievements come from her heart. She has initiated so much positive change for families, children, victims of crime and the environment in her struggle for the forward movement of America and the working people of this nation."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sophiebhawkins.com/|title=Blog entry of 16 02 2008 from her official site|website=Sophiebhawkins.com|access-date=December 25, 2012|archive-date=March 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319210943/http://sophiebhawkins.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2010, Hawkins began supporting [[Waterkeeper Alliance]], an organization of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect more than 100,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. She donated all of the proceeds of her single "[[The Land, the Sea, and the Sky]]" to the organization.

In February 2011, Hawkins performed at the Big Gay Party event staged by [[GOProud]], an organization of gay conservatives, as part of the year's [[Conservative Political Action Conference]] festivities. In an after-show interview in the [[reason.tv]] documentary "Liberal in Bed, Conservative in the Head: Sophie B. Hawkins", Hawkins gave her views on issues such as gun ownership, the free market, limited government and [[identity politics]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi952nAd8PA "Liberal in Bed, Conservative in the Head: Sophie B. Hawkins"] (video). Reason.tv. [[YouTube]].</ref>

In 2017, Hawkins lent her voice in support of LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization The Trevor Project's 20th Anniversary celebration video campaign.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjOwIEEwW5w Sophie B. Hawkins Supports LGBTQ Youth from Trevor Project], [[YouTube]], Retrieved November 12, 2019</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Year !! Awards !! Work !! Category !! Result !! Ref.
|-
| rowspan=2|1993
| [[1993 Grammy Awards|Grammy Awards]]
| rowspan=3|Herself
| [[Best New Artist]]
|{{nom}}
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/sophie-b-hawkins/10777|title = Sophie B. Hawkins|date = November 23, 2020|website=Grammy.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[Q Awards]]
| Best New Act
| {{nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.toriamosdiscography.info/item002855.html|title=Q : UK Publications &#124; Tori Amos Discography & Collectibles|website=Torismosdiscography.info|access-date=May 22, 2021|archive-date=May 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524022302/https://www.toriamosdiscography.info/item002855.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2|1995
| RSH Gold Awards
| Kraftrille des Jahres
| {{won}}
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsh-history.de/RSH-Gold-1995.htm|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150627124818/http://www.rsh-history.de/RSH-Gold-1995.htm|archive-date = June 27, 2015|title = Startseite}}</ref>
|-
| [[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box Year-End Awards]]
| rowspan=3|"[[As I Lay Me Down]]" 
| Top Pop Single
| {{nom}}
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/90s/1995/CB-1995-12-30.pdf#page=10|format=PDF|page=10|title=Cash Box|date=December 30, 1995|website=Worldradiohistory.com|access-date=November 1, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2|1996
| [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP Pop Music Awards]]
| Most Performed Song
| {{won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2019/s/sophie-b.-hawkins/|title=Sophie B. Hawkins|website=Publictheater.org|access-date=November 1, 2023|archive-date=July 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710194216/https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2019/s/sophie-b.-hawkins/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[APRA Music Awards of 1996|APRA Music Awards]]
| Most Performed Foreign Work
| {{nom}}
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/APRAAwards/MusicAwards/Nominations/Nominations1996.aspx |title=APRA&#124;AMCOS : Nominations - 1996 |website=Apra-amcos.com.au |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308005212/http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/APRAAwards/MusicAwards/Nominations/Nominations1996.aspx |archive-date=March 8, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{end}}

== Discography ==
{{Main|Sophie B. Hawkins discography}}
* ''[[Tongues and Tails]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Whaler (album)|Whaler]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Timbre (album)|Timbre]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Wilderness (Sophie B. Hawkins album)|Wilderness]]'' (2004)
* ''[[The Crossing (Sophie B. Hawkins album)|The Crossing]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Free Myself]]'' (2023)

==Filmography==
* ''The Cream Will Rise'' (1998) dir. [[Gigi Gaston]]
* ''Beyond the City Limits'' (''Rip It Off'') (2001) dir. Gigi Gaston
* ''[[Community (TV series)|Community]]'' episode "[[Herstory of Dance]]" (2013)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=y|c=Category:Sophie B. Hawkins|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}}
*{{Official website}}
*[http://thecreamwillrise.com/cream/index.html ''The Cream Will Rise'' (1997) – reviews, clips, & commentary]
*[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=sophie b. hawkins|chart=all}} ''Billboard Artist Chart History'']
*[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sophie-b-hawkins/bp-is-still-pointing-fing_b_599593.html ''Huffington Post BP Blog'' (2010) – BP Is Still Pointing Fingers – Time for Us to Act]

{{Sophie B. Hawkins|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Sophie B.}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American bloggers]]
[[Category:American women bloggers]]
[[Category:American women singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American mezzo-sopranos]]
[[Category:American women pop singers]]
[[Category:Manhattan School of Music alumni]]
[[Category:Musicians from Manhattan]]
[[Category:Trinity School (New York City) alumni]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Guitarists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from New York (state)]]
[[Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people]]