Biography
Phillippa "Pip" Brown, recording as Ladyhawke, produces expansive tracks that established her as a standout figure in the late-2000s resurgence of 1980s synth pop, a presence that continued well into the new millennium. At the same time, her influences range equally from Nirvana and Electric Light Orchestra to Cyndi Lauper and Pat Benatar, allowing the musical breadth evident on her award-winning 2008 debut Ladyhawke to generate both broad commercial reach and critical praise. Rather than emphasizing polished exteriors like many peers, Brown incorporates authentic personal experiences and feelings that lend substance to her material, evident in the grunge-infused and glam-rock-tinged intensity of 2012's Anxiety as well as the restorative rhythms of 2021's Time Flies.
Brown was born in Masterton, New Zealand, and raised in a household centered on music, with a mother who performed as a singer and guitarist and a stepfather who worked as a jazz drummer. During childhood she absorbed extensive listening that included her mother's Beatles and Pretenders records, later performing in grunge groups while attending Chanel College, a secondary school in Masterton.
Following graduation she relocated in 2001 to Wellington, where she served as lead guitarist in Two Lane Blacktop, the punk-oriented band she assembled with friends. Just before the group could embark on a tour supporting Modey Lemon, it disbanded abruptly. Brown proceeded with her earlier intention to visit Australia and settled in Melbourne in 2003. There she connected with Nick Littlemore of the Sydney-based band Pnau, later known for Empire of the Sun, who invited her to join his new project Teenager. In 2004 she moved to Sydney to participate, and the ensemble performed live for several years before issuing the arty pop album Thirteen in 2006. After Littlemore encountered several of Brown's independently written and online-posted compositions, he encouraged her to pursue a solo path. Adopting the stage name Ladyhawke from the 1985 Richard Donner film, she tracked her first album with producers Pascal Gabriel and Hannah Robinson. Her initial appearance came on "Embrace," a track from Pnau's self-titled 2007 debut, with the full-length Ladyhawke arriving in September 2008. Issued by Modular, the record blended 1980s synth-pop theatricality with contemporary edge and achieved strong success, reaching number one on the New Zealand charts and earning eventual platinum certification. It also placed in the Australian and U.K. top 20, attaining gold status in the latter territory, while the single "My Delierium" reached the top 10 in both New Zealand and Australia. Her honors encompassed the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards for Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Female Solo Artist, and International Achievement Award, along with 2009 ARIA Music Awards for Breakthrough Artist in the Album and Single categories and nominations for Brit and NME Awards.
Following an extended period of touring and promotion, Brown resumed studio work with Gabriel on a successor, yet the sessions collapsed amid post-tour fatigue. The two paused recording, during which Brown contributed to Junica's 2011 single "Living In My House" and supplied a remix of Alex Winston's "Sister Wife." Gabriel and Brown later regrouped at his studio in France, resulting in the May 2012 co-release of Anxiety on Modular and the revived Casablanca label. Drawing from Nirvana and comparable 1990s alternative-rock acts, the album's lean arrangements addressed Brown's 2006 diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome with direct candor. It reached number 12 in New Zealand, entered the Australian top 20 and the U.K. top 40, while "Blue Eyes" appeared in Verizon television commercials in the United States, where Anxiety climbed to number 12 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.
Brown initiated work on her subsequent album in 2013 yet set aside the darker material she had composed, feeling it mismatched her improved outlook. During this interval she featured on "Last Train," a song from Tiësto's 2014 album A Town Called Paradise, and collaborated again with Tiësto associate Tommy English on a brighter, pop-oriented project. That effort became June 2016's Wild Things, Ladyhawke's first release on the U.S. label Polyvinyl. Capturing her uplifted state after marrying actor and comedian Madeleine Sami, the album attained a top-five position in New Zealand, a top-20 placement in Australia, number seven on the U.K. Independent Albums chart, and number 15 on the Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States.
A 2011 collaboration Brown recorded with the Charlatans' Tim Burgess surfaced on his 2018 album As I Was Now. After additional work with Crooked Colours on their 2019 album Langata and a 2020 reunion with Pnau on the single "River," Ladyhawke issued Time Flies in November 2021. This energetic collection, shaped by the therapeutic process she pursued for anxiety and depression, included contributions from English, Broods, Jono Sloane, and Chris Stracey.
Brown was born in Masterton, New Zealand, and raised in a household centered on music, with a mother who performed as a singer and guitarist and a stepfather who worked as a jazz drummer. During childhood she absorbed extensive listening that included her mother's Beatles and Pretenders records, later performing in grunge groups while attending Chanel College, a secondary school in Masterton.
Following graduation she relocated in 2001 to Wellington, where she served as lead guitarist in Two Lane Blacktop, the punk-oriented band she assembled with friends. Just before the group could embark on a tour supporting Modey Lemon, it disbanded abruptly. Brown proceeded with her earlier intention to visit Australia and settled in Melbourne in 2003. There she connected with Nick Littlemore of the Sydney-based band Pnau, later known for Empire of the Sun, who invited her to join his new project Teenager. In 2004 she moved to Sydney to participate, and the ensemble performed live for several years before issuing the arty pop album Thirteen in 2006. After Littlemore encountered several of Brown's independently written and online-posted compositions, he encouraged her to pursue a solo path. Adopting the stage name Ladyhawke from the 1985 Richard Donner film, she tracked her first album with producers Pascal Gabriel and Hannah Robinson. Her initial appearance came on "Embrace," a track from Pnau's self-titled 2007 debut, with the full-length Ladyhawke arriving in September 2008. Issued by Modular, the record blended 1980s synth-pop theatricality with contemporary edge and achieved strong success, reaching number one on the New Zealand charts and earning eventual platinum certification. It also placed in the Australian and U.K. top 20, attaining gold status in the latter territory, while the single "My Delierium" reached the top 10 in both New Zealand and Australia. Her honors encompassed the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards for Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Female Solo Artist, and International Achievement Award, along with 2009 ARIA Music Awards for Breakthrough Artist in the Album and Single categories and nominations for Brit and NME Awards.
Following an extended period of touring and promotion, Brown resumed studio work with Gabriel on a successor, yet the sessions collapsed amid post-tour fatigue. The two paused recording, during which Brown contributed to Junica's 2011 single "Living In My House" and supplied a remix of Alex Winston's "Sister Wife." Gabriel and Brown later regrouped at his studio in France, resulting in the May 2012 co-release of Anxiety on Modular and the revived Casablanca label. Drawing from Nirvana and comparable 1990s alternative-rock acts, the album's lean arrangements addressed Brown's 2006 diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome with direct candor. It reached number 12 in New Zealand, entered the Australian top 20 and the U.K. top 40, while "Blue Eyes" appeared in Verizon television commercials in the United States, where Anxiety climbed to number 12 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.
Brown initiated work on her subsequent album in 2013 yet set aside the darker material she had composed, feeling it mismatched her improved outlook. During this interval she featured on "Last Train," a song from Tiësto's 2014 album A Town Called Paradise, and collaborated again with Tiësto associate Tommy English on a brighter, pop-oriented project. That effort became June 2016's Wild Things, Ladyhawke's first release on the U.S. label Polyvinyl. Capturing her uplifted state after marrying actor and comedian Madeleine Sami, the album attained a top-five position in New Zealand, a top-20 placement in Australia, number seven on the U.K. Independent Albums chart, and number 15 on the Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States.
A 2011 collaboration Brown recorded with the Charlatans' Tim Burgess surfaced on his 2018 album As I Was Now. After additional work with Crooked Colours on their 2019 album Langata and a 2020 reunion with Pnau on the single "River," Ladyhawke issued Time Flies in November 2021. This energetic collection, shaped by the therapeutic process she pursued for anxiety and depression, included contributions from English, Broods, Jono Sloane, and Chris Stracey.
Albums
Singles
