Ladyhawke is the stage name of Phillipa “Pip” Brown, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Masterton, New Zealand. Born in 1979, she is a New Zealand pop rock artist whose work sits across electropop, pop, pop rock, new wave, indie rock and synth-driven music.

Background

Brown grows up in a musical family: her mother is a singer-guitarist and her stepfather is a jazz drummer. She has Asperger’s syndrome and, during childhood, experiences repeated illness and allergies that keep her in and out of hospital. At 10, she contracts erysipeloid, a disease usually associated with seagulls and not seen in humans in New Zealand for 20 years. Her allergies to antibiotics, penicillin and antihistamines make treatment difficult, and she comes close to dying.

She attends Chanel College and plays in several grunge bands while at school. After leaving school, she moves from Masterton to Wellington and forms the hard rock band Two Lane Blacktop in 2001, playing lead guitar. When that band ends in late 2003 after the singer and drummer leave, she relocates to Melbourne, then meets Nick Littlemore of Pnau, later of Empire of the Sun. The two form the duo Teenager and move to Sydney.

Ladyhawke project

In 2006, Brown leaves Teenager to focus on a solo project under the name Ladyhawke, a persona inspired by the 1985 Richard Donner film of the same name. She performs live with a band, but in the studio she plays the instruments herself. Her instrument list includes electric, bass and acoustic guitars, synthesizers and drums.

Recording and releases

Her debut album, Ladyhawke, is released on Modular and reaches number 1 in New Zealand, while also charting in the UK, Australia, the United States and on the European Top 100 Albums chart. The album is noted for its single releases, including “Back of the Van”, “Paris Is Burning”, “Dusk Till Dawn”, “My Delirium” and “Magic”. Among these, “Paris Is Burning” and “My Delirium” become her best-known songs. She also collaborates with Pnau on the track “Embrace” in 2008.

In 2010, she releases the digital live EP iTunes Live from SoHo.

Awards and recognition

Ladyhawke wins five New Zealand Music Awards in 2009, including Album of the Year, Best Dance/Electronica Album, Single of the Year for “My Delirium”, International Achievement Award, Best Female Solo Artist and Breakthrough Artist of the Year. She also receives nominations at the NME Awards, MTV Australia Awards, ARIA Music Awards and the Brit Awards. At the ARIA Awards, she wins Breakthrough Artist – Album for Ladyhawke and Breakthrough Artist – Single for “My Delirium”.