Opus III

In the early-'90s ambient house scene, Opus III scored several hit songs before their lead vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw launched a thriving freelance career later in the decade, lending her voice to numerous dance music luminaries. The group's 1992 Atlantic debut, Mind Fruit, showcased the popular tracks "It's a Fine Day" and "I Talk to the Wind." Opus III earned acclaim by fusing ethereal female vocals with the ambient house aesthetic shared by era contemporaries such as the Orb and Enigma. Amid the band's peak success that same year, Hawkshaw joined Orbital for their second album, the landmark Orbital 2. Opus III resurfaced in 1994 with Guru Mother, a release that underperformed compared to the promising debut yet contained the single "When You Made the Mountain." Once the group's trajectory entered hiatus, Hawkshaw resumed session work in the late '90s, collaborating with producers including BT, Delerium, the Silent Poets, DJ Tiesto, and Orbital once more.