Sophie Ballantine Hawkins

Sophie Ballantine Hawkins is an American singer, songwriter, musician and painter, born 1967 November 1, in Manhattan, New York City, USA. Her biggest hits are "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover," "Right Beside You," and "As I Lay Me Down."

Graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, Hawkins began crafting demos in a friend's home studio before being recruited as a percussionist for Bryan Ferry in the early 1980s. (She was subsequently fired by Ferry and later claimed that experience as being the catalyst she needed to commit to her songwriting. She wrote "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" shortly after.) Her debut album, Tongues and Tails, was released in 1992. It achieved both critical acclaim, earning her a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 1993, as well as worldwide commercial success. The single "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles' chart in the USA. Whaler, her second album, was released in 1994. It also contained a Top 10 hit, the song "As I Lay Me Down."

Many of Hawkins' songs are openly about sex, such as "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover," from Tongues and Tails, and "I Need Nothing Else," from Whaler. "Beautiful Girl," from Wilderness, and songs such as "32 Lines" and "Your Tongue Like the Sun in My Mouth" began to deal explicitly with her bisexuality (though Hawkins reportedly prefers the term "omnisexuality"). Her influences include jazz, rock, and African music.

A 1998 documentary by Gigi Gaston, entitled The Cream Will Rise, follows her during one of her tours and captures her struggle to deal with past trouble with her family, including her mother and brother. Music and riffs by Hawkins are included throughout the film.

Sophie had an extended conflict with her record company prior to the release of her third album, Timbre, in 1999. She wanted to use a banjo in the song "Lose Your Way," but the record company wanted her to use a more mainstream instrument, such as a guitar. She finally won out with the help of a loosely-knit group of Internet-based fans.

Timbre was re-released in 2001 on her own label, Trumpet Swan Productions. It was bundled with a bonus disc containing new songs, demos, remixes, and videos.

Her first independently recorded and released album, Wilderness, was released in 2004.