Kaz Hawkins (born 21 January 1973) is a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

blues,

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

singer and songwriter signed to Dixiefrog Records in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, France.

Early life

Hawkins was born and grew up in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

but now lives in France. She enjoyed singing at church, and was influenced by her grandmother singing at home. In her youth, she auditioned for the television show '' Opportunity Knocks'' where the musical director told her grandmother to let her listen to

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, ...

. Her love affair of soul music began there.

Career

Hawkins sang in cover bands for 20 years before she began creating original material. She has released four studio albums, two EPs (no longer available), and one live album (digital only). She has also released a compilation album exclusively on vinyl. Upon signing with Dixiefrog Records, an anthology of her back catalogue called ''My Life and I'', was released. A seventeen track CD and double vinyl was released in 2022. A new album ''Until We Meet Again'', is due for release on Dixiefrog on 26 May 2023. Collaborations with other artists have helped her enter other genres. In 2019 she featured on French

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

& funk Dj Eugène de Rastignac's single ''Won't You Save My Sou''l released on SPACE PARTY Records. In 2020 ''On The Little Island'' with German composer Mathis Richter-Reichhelm ( Swimming The Nile) was a duet released on Early-Bird Records in Germany which cemented a songwriting partnership between the two. In 2017, she began presenting a blues show on

BBC Radio Ulster BBC Radio Ulster ( ga, BBC Raidió Uladh) is a Northern Irish radio station owned and operated by BBC Northern Ireland, a division of the BBC. It was established on New Year's Day 1975, replacing what had been an opt-out of BBC Radio 4. It is ...

, called ''Kaz Hawkins Got The Blues'', produced by Ralph McLean. As of 2022, a total of eight series have been recorded by Hawkins for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

. Hawkins was invited to

Florence Academy of Art The Florence Academy of Art is an American art school in Florence, in Tuscany in central Italy. It was started by Daniel Graves, an American painter, in 1991. Teaching is in the traditional style of the old masters. The school is a branch of t ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

, to join in a various artists album ''Something In The Water'', to help highlight children not having access to arts in Alabama. The album included one of the original

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section is a group of American session musicians based in the northern Alabama town of Muscle Shoals. One of the most prominent American studio house bands from the 1960s to the 1980s, these musicians, individually or a ...

David Hood David Hood (born September 21, 1943) is an American bassist from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He also plays the trombone. He is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Early life and education Hood was born in Sheffield, Alabama and attende ...

and musicians Clayton Ivey and Will McFarlane, supporting a line up of international artists covering songs recorded in Alabama. In April 2022, Hawkins was given the honourable title of Godmother of the oldest blues festival in France. Cahors Blues Festival asked her permission in front of gathered press at the launch of the 40th anniversary of the festival. She accepted the honour of 'Marraine du festival'. She joined

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

winning

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram Christone "Kingfish" Ingram (born January 19, 1999) is an American blues guitarist and singer from Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States, who became a well-known performer as a teenager. His debut album, ''Kingfish,'' was released in May 2019. ...

Popa Chubby Theodore Joseph "Ted" Horowitz (born March 31, 1960 in The Bronx, New York City, United States), who plays under the stage name of Popa Chubby, is an American singer, composer, and guitarist. Life and career At age thirteen Horowitz began play ...

and

Kirk Fletcher Kirk Fletcher (born December 23, 1975) is an American electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. To date, Fletcher has released four studio albums and one live album. In addition, he has variously been a member of the Fabulous Thunder ...

as festival headliners in July 2022, in the town of

Cahors Cahors (; oc, Caors ) is a commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitanie Region. The main city of the Lot department and the historical center of the Que ...

, France. Hawkins has regularly been invited by the Irish composer and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nominee Brian Byrne, to perform in Ireland and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

on his compositions. She joined an international cast including

Fra Fee Francis Martin "Fra" Fee (born 20 May 1987) is an Irish actor and singer. He is known for portraying Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of ''Les Misérables''. He portrayed the role of Michael Carney in Jez Butterworth's ''The Ferryman ...

Joe Rooney Joseph "Joe" Rooney (born 1 October 1963) is an Irish actor, comedian and singer-songwriter from Drogheda, County Louth. He is arguably best known for his acting and in particular for playing Father Damo in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted' ...

Adele King Adèle King (born Adèle Condron-King, 4 April 1951) is an Irish entertainer better known as Twink. She is the mother of singer Chloë Agnew RTÉ Concert Orchestra The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full-time professional radio orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestr ...

for the launch of the production of ''Angel of Broadway'' in Dublin. In 2017, Hawkins won took the trophy at th
European Blues Challenge
in

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 61,074 (1 January 2022) and the municipality's population is 94,443 (), making it the 8th largest city in D ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

representing the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was the first time th
UK Blues Federation
had an artist win at the challenge, beating 21 countries.

Awards

*Winner - Best Album for ''My Life And I'' - Innocent Award. Berlin, Germany (2022). *NI Music Prize nominee in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2022 *Winner - Northern Ireland Blues Act of the Year - UK Blues Award (2018). *Winner - European Blues Challenge in Denmark (2017). *Semi-finalist -

Blues Foundation The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of t ...

International Blues Challenge The International Blues Challenge (IBC) is a music competition run by the Blues Foundation. Notable blues artists that have competed in the IBC over the years also includes Fiona Boyes, Eden Brent, Michael Burks, Tommy Castro, Sean Costello, ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

(2017). *Winner - UK Blues Challenge (2016). *Winner - Pure M Magazine Awards - Ireland Best Female and Best Video for "This Is Me" (2016). *Winner - Barry Middleton Memorial Award for Emerging Artist at the

British Blues Awards The British Blues Awards were inaugurated in 2010. The prize was awarded in various categories, such as 'Male vocals', 'Female vocals', 'Guitarist', 'Bass player' and 'Keyboard player', 'Blues band', 'Young artist', 'Blues album', 'Blues festival' a ...

(2015).

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Get Ready (2014)'' * ''Feelin' Good'' (2017) - Kaz Hawkins Band'' *''Feelin' Good'' (2017) (US Version)'' *''Feelin' Good'' (2018) (reissue) * ''Don't You Know'' (2017) * ''Until We Meet Again'' (2023)

Live albums

* ''Live at The Park Avenue Feat. Sam York'' (2018) *''Live at La Traverse'' (digital only) (2020)

Compilation albums

* ''The Collection on Vinyl'' (2018) *''Memories Of'' (2020) *''My Life And I'' (2022 Remastered) Dixiefrog Records

Singles

*"On This Little Island" (2020) - Mathis & Kaz (Earlybird Records, Germany)

Appears on

*"Shake" (2014) Track 4 on ''Various – The Best Of 2014'' (The blues magazine of ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prim ...

'' later renamed ''

Louder Sound ''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 60 ...

'') *"Let it Be" (2015) Track 6 on Simon Murphy - ''Let it Be'' *"Won't You Save My Soul" (2019) Single - Eugene De Rastignac *"Something in the Water" (2019) ''Various Artists - Florence Academy of Fine Arts'' (FAFA), United States

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Kaz 1973 births Living people Musicians from Belfast Blues singers from Northern Ireland Women singer-songwriters from Northern Ireland Singer-songwriters from Northern Ireland BBC Radio Ulster presenters 21st-century singers from Northern Ireland 21st-century women singers from Northern Ireland British women radio presenters