CELEBRATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER ALBUM, WHALER
Gill Sherry
Those of us of a certain age will be familiar with Sophie B Hawkins. Her 90’s hits ‘Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover’ and ‘Right Beside You’ were particularly symbolic and, much like Sophie herself, could easily be described as timeless.
Our time zones are five hours apart when I catch up with her via Zoom. It’s 9.30am in Westport, New York and Sophie has just walked her nine-year-old daughter, Esther, to school. Our conversation, though, focuses on Glasgow’s King Tut’s where she will be taking to the stage to celebrate the re-emerging of her 1994 album, Whaler, 30 years after its release.
“What’s really great about doing it in this venue is… do you know who’s playing with me? Belinda O’Hooley of O’Hooley & Tidow.”
She seems disappointed that I’m unfamiliar with the folk duo from Huddersfield but continues with her story undeterred.
“They’re incredible musicians. I discovered them during Covid because they wrote a theme song for a TV show that I l really loved, by a TV writer that I really loved, Sally Wainwright.”
The show she’s referring to, but doesn’t dwell on, is Gentleman Jack.
“Whaler re-emerging is a live acoustic duo, and I think we did a beautiful job… but my co-musicians could not come on this trip. So I DMd O’Hooley & Tidow and said, ‘These are my tour dates, is there any possibility that you know someone that could accompany me, or would you yourselves be interested in doing this?’ I’d never met them, but they jumped on it! It’s so exciting!”
When Whaler was recorded as a follow up to her critically acclaimed debut album Tongues and Tails, it was rejected by Sony USA. As a result, she switched to Sony Europe.
“It was warm and happy. It wasn’t dark, it wasn’t broody, and it wasn’t like Tonges and Tails, so I got a lot of flack. But I toured Europe for two or three years and had one hit after another. And then America needed a hit and Sony Europe said, ‘You’re missing something here, this is a beautiful album with great singles’.”
As a result, ‘As I Lay Me Down’ was released by Sony USA becoming the longest running hit single ever in the US at that time. Despite this success, her third and subsequent albums were all produced independently. She’s keen to clarify, however, that she wasn’t dropped by Sony but left of her own accord.
“It took many years,” she muses, “but now I’m 60 and I’m delighted to be playing the songs which I love.”
Sophie is what you might call old-school when it comes to songwriting. She is proud to write her own songs, most of which reflect her own thoughts and circumstances. ‘As I Lay Me Down’, for example, pays tribute to her father, and her 2023 album Free Myself reflects her happy, buoyant self. Which is why, in addition to celebrating the re-emerging of Whaler, songs from her latest album will also be performed at her upcoming shows.
“It works to put those songs in. The crowd loves that new album. And of course we’re going to do ‘Damn’. I never want to rip the fans off… they love that song.”
There aren’t many songs that can be abbreviated in such a way and yet still be instantly recognised. Thirty-three years after its release, ‘Damn’ is most definitely one of those songs. But although it remains a firm fan favourite, is it one of Sophie’s?
“I think I’m amazed the most by ‘As I Lay Me Down’. I remember the day I wrote every single song, and that song shocked me because it was such a spiritual thing. I literally remember taking my hands off the guitar… and it just felt like it was directly from God, if there is a God. When I hear it, I’m humbled by it because it arrived as this ‘thing’ and it says my childhood perfectly. This is the song that is my spiritual self, it’s quintessentially me, and I’m so glad it’s been embraced by people.”
She goes on to tell me about another song by another artist that also resonates.
“The song is ‘Lost Boy’, do you know it?”
She starts to sing, and I feel extraordinarily privileged to bear witness to this intimate and impromptu performance.
“When I heard that song by… I forget her name, I thought, ‘Wow, that’s her quintessential song’ and it makes me cry every time I hear it. I think the song is magnificent.”
I later discover that it was written and performed by a Canadian singer called Ruth B. And Sophie is right, it’s beautiful.
“Another artist that I love is the girl who sings ‘Pink Pony Club’.”
Again, she starts to sing, but this time I can help her out with the artist’s name – Chappel Roan.
“I love her because I think she writes her own songs. I think she’s a true musician. Her voice reminds me of Kate Bush. She’s an amazing artist and I love the lyrics to that particular song. I love Adele… but when you find out that someone’s not writing all their songs, you think differently. They’re more of an entertainer.”
There’s that old-school attitude I was talking about, which probably stems from her time at Manhattan School of Music. Surprisingly, though, she started her musical journey as a drummer.
“I always wanted to be a drummer. I have pictures of me at five years old dressing up as a native American drummer. I begged for lessons and finally, when I was 14 years old, I found an African drum teacher in Manhattan. At that time, 14 was pretty old to be starting because New York is full of people who are really ambitious and go-getters. But that’s my story. I was an African drummer and then I went to classical music school for percussion.”
But she was determined to be a songwriter, and she pursued this dream full-time from the age of 22. When she started out, was her musical style influenced by anyone in particular?
“My father listened to jazz every night, so I heard Billie Holiday all the time. My mother brought home Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Bob Dylan definitely affected me because my father loved him, so there was a connection to both parents through music. Neither of them were musicians but everyone loved our record player!”
Sophie now has eight studio albums to her name. Has her style changed much, if at all, since her debut in 1992?
“I also wonder that. I don’t know if I’ve had a style… except that I really look for interesting chord changes. I don’t like anything predicable. My style is maybe that, that it’s not predictable. Did you know I’ve written a musical?”
She asks this as if to demonstrate her lack of predictability.
“I mention it because I have not one style. I’m capable of going through many styles. The one thing that’s the same is that my lyrics have many meanings, and they try to convey something that is not obvious.”
One thing she does have is plenty of energy. Her responses are animated and she’s clearly excited at the prospect of touring. She considers her age as a positive when it comes to her live shows and says she feels better at 60 than she did in her twenties or thirties.
“I still love performing. I get much more enjoyment from it now because I’m not trying to be Sophie B Hawkins, I just am Sophie B Hawkins. I love the music I’ve written. It’s complex, it’s full, and the lyrics are great. I never get sick of singing my own music and I’m always grateful that I worked so hard on it to make it so interesting and layered. I’ve always said my songs are my teachers and they continually teach me and remind me where I’ve come from and where I’m going.”
As well as her nine-year-old daughter, she also has a 16-year-old son, Dashiell, but says she wouldn’t want to be either of those ages again.
“It was so fraught! And I’m so much lighter now and so much more adept at handling things. And my voice may be better in some ways. Everything about me is better, to me anyway. I’m not sure everyone feels that way!”
She laughs when she says this as if to disguise the glimmer of insecurity that accompanies her words. It’s the first sign of any doubt in her otherwise confident and carefree demeanour, and it instantly disappears when I ask about her scheduled Glastonbury gig where, unlike Glasgow, she’ll be performing with both members of the Huddersfield folk duo.
“It’s such a big deal to be at Glastonbury! It has to be the highlight of my career. But ‘As I Lay Me Down’ is still playing on the radio and still supporting me, as is ‘Damn’. And O’Hooley & Tidow saying they’ll play with me… those are all daily highlights. Plus, I’ve survived the music industry self-supported as an independent artist since 1988. I make enough money to support two kids which, I have to say, is a magnificent feat.”
From Sophie’s point of view, bringing up two kids includes educating them and leading by example when it comes to the environment. She has supported Waterkeeper Alliance, a worldwide network of environmental organisations, since 2010, and the proceeds from her single ‘The Land, the Sea, and the Sky’ are still donated to that cause.
“The environment is the most important thing in our lives. We have to consciously always be recycling properly. I don’t use any plastic. I do everything organically. We walk to the store, we walk to school or ride our bikes. These little things matter.”
They do indeed. And Sophie believes the key is to actually do less.
“Less is more, that’s what I’ve learned in life. Everything that I’m doing is affecting the next generation. My daughter’s only nine but she’s getting our intelligence, our wisdom and our habits. So is my son. That’s really important.”
It’s good to hear Sophie’s views in the run up to World Environment Day, but her final words are reserved for the fans who are looking forward to seeing her at King Tut’s on 2nd July.
“I’m so grateful they’re coming. I’ll play all the hits, and I’ll spend some time with them afterwards, as I always do, to have that moment where I can tell them personally how grateful I am that they came, because I really am. I’m very happy that people are going to give me their precious time and money and celebrate with me.”
For tickets, visit www.sophiebhawkins.com/tour
