Edwina Hayes is a folk and singer-songwriter from Dublin, born in 1973. She grows up in Preston, Lancashire and has been a regular performer on the London and Nashville acoustic scenes since 1999.

She divides her time between the UK and America and is closely associated with Nashville’s songwriting circuit, where she appears at venues including the Bluebird Cafe, 12th & Porter, Brown’s Diner and the former Sherlock Holmes on Elliston Place. She also performs on major UK stages such as the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

Career

Hayes signs as a writer with Warner Chappell in March 2003. Her influences include Ray Charles, Carole King, Van Morrison, Nanci Griffith, Richard Thompson, Patty Griffin and Bob Dylan.

Her debut album is released on Warner Brothers in 2005. In the same year, one of her songs is included on the compilation Acoustic Love, which becomes a number one bestselling CD. She also tours the UK for the first time in 2005 with artists including Jools Holland, Van Morrison, Nanci Griffith, Ricky Ross, Loudon Wainwright III and Daniel Bedingfield.

Collaborations and side projects

In 2006, Hayes records an album with Cathy Burton and Amy Wadge as part of the side project Hummingbird. Her second album, Pour Me A Drink, is released in 2008.