Philippa Hanna

Philippa Hanna, an English singer and songwriter, earned recognition chiefly through her contributions to contemporary Christian music. Although she grew up in Sheffield within a musically active family—her father Pat Hanna toured professionally, her brother Stuart Zender helped establish the acclaimed U.K. acid jazz-funk ensemble Jamiroquai, and her cousins Richard and Danny McNamara belonged to the Brit-pop group Embrace—her own professional path did not begin until she embraced faith in 2004 at age twenty. Consequently her songs center on pronounced Christian motifs and concerns. Outside her recording and performance schedule, she devotes considerable energy to promoting and financing several Christian charities.

Her first album, Watching Me, appeared in 2007 and earned praise for its acoustic textures together with Hanna’s expressive singing. Captured at Steelworks studios in her native city and overseen by producer Andy Baker—who had previously launched the Sheffield outfit the Gentlemen—the project topped the CDBaby CCM charts and placed in the Top Three among solo female artists.

Following publication of her debut book, More, which recounts her personal discovery of faith during young adulthood, Hanna reentered the studio with Andy Baker to complete the 2009 release Taste. Continuing the introspective approach of her debut, the record addressed varied modern topics pertinent to young Christian listeners while preserving a pronounced rhythmic foundation.

Her initial appearance on the BBC religious series Songs of Praise in 2011 led to a further session at Steelworks, where she cut the live EP Out of the Blue. The set incorporated country, bluegrass, and Americana influences, marking a shift from her earlier soul and pop direction. Several tracks were co-written with Eliot Kennedy (Spice Girls, Bryan Adams, S Club 7) and fellow CCM songwriter Chris Eaton.

Crowdfunding through Kickstarter supported her third studio album, Through the Woods, issued in 2013. Once more enlisting Eliot Kennedy, the record advanced the Americana and country directions first explored on the preceding EP and reached number 2 on the Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart. Its lead single, “Lighthouse,” received substantial radio exposure, notably on BBC Radio 2, and featured during her second Songs of Praise appearance early that year.

Her fourth album arrived after she moved to the United States. Recorded in Nashville, Speed of Light (2016) included the single “Arrow” and debuted on Richard Madeley’s BBC Radio 2 program. A supporting tour with Anastacia was scheduled for later in the year.