Ladyhawke nominated for Brit awards
Kiwi pop star Ladyhawke is continuing her meteoric flight to international fame with nomination in the 2010 Brit Awards - the British version of the Grammys.
The New Zealand singer-songwriter, whose real name is Pip Brown, has secured a nomination for International Female Solo Artist. She shares the category with big-names like Lady Gaga, Norah Jones, Rihanna and Shakira.
Now 30 years old, Ladyhawke - who was born and raised in Masterton in New Zealand’s North Island - has quickly become an international star.
She also dominated the local music scene in 2009 by taking six top prizes at the New Zealand Music Awards, and was crowned Australia’s breakthrough artist in 2009.
"Really bizarre"
The young singer, who is often referred to as shy and retiring, said it was a "really bizarre feeling" to have been nominated for the Brit Awards.
"It's almost comical the category I'm in, I couldn't possibly be more of an underdog."
But she also admits to being "stoked" about nomination in the major awards, which take place in London next month.
2010 Brit Awards
The 2010 Brit Awards will be held at Earls Court, London, on 16 February.
Topping nominations for the awards were Lily Allen, Lady Gaga, Pixie Lott and Florence & the Machine - all up for three gongs.
Despite scoring UK’s biggest selling album of 2009, Susan Boyle did not receive any nominations.
Ladyhawke is based in the UK where she is working on her second album. She is home in New Zealand this summer touring with the Big Day Out.
Background: Ladyhawke
Phillipa "Pip" Brown was born in 1979 in Masterton, and grew up in the small provincial town in New Zealand’s Wairarapa region.
The product of a musical family - jazz drummer stepfather and singer / guitarist mother - Brown taught herself to play the drums, guitar, bass and synthesiser in her early teenage years.
She played in grunge bands while still at high school, then aged 18 moved to Wellington and formed a band called ‘Two Lane Blacktop’. The band gained a strong New Zealand following, regularly toured Australia and performed in the USA.
In Australia, Brown joined ‘Teenager’, playing guitar with Nick Littlemore for two years.
During this time, she says, ‘Ladyhawke’ started to take over her life as "a desire to do my own project where I could completely express myself in any way I wanted without having to answer to bandmates."
Ladyhawke is best known for her hit singles Paris Is Burning, and My Delirium. Her self-titled debut album was released on Modular Recordings in September 2008. By November of the same year she had won Aria Awards in Australia for 'Best Breakthrough' single and album.
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