Kirsty Hawkshaw

Kirsty Hawkshaw (born 29 March 1969, London) is an English vocalist, songwriter and producer whose work sits between trance and liquid-leaning electronic music. She first came to prominence as the lead vocalist of early-1990s dance group Opus III; the group’s cover of "It's a Fine Day" was an international hit. Hawkshaw is based in the United Kingdom and works across songwriting, vocal performance and studio production.

Hawkshaw’s entry into electronic music was through Opus III in the early 1990s; after the group disbanded she moved into a solo career and into collaborations with established electronic producers. Credited collaborations include Tiësto, Delerium, BT, Fragma and Hybrid. Her solo output includes the compilation Meta-Message (2005) and the ambient album The Ice Castle (2008).

As a vocalist and as a producer, Hawkshaw’s sonic signature is specific: a high, breathy timbre delivered in sustained melodic lines and layered harmonies. Producers working with her typically place her voice as a clear topline — close-miked, with long reverb and delay tails and careful EQ to sit above pads and low-end. Those traits make her material translate easily into trance arrangements and into the smoother side of drum and bass often labelled liquid — where her sustained phrases and intimate phrasing can ride rolling breakbeats and warm sub-bass without being crowded.

On the production side, much of Hawkshaw’s recorded work emphasises atmospheric arrangement and vocal-centric composition. The Ice Castle (2008) is presented as an ambient album that foregrounds texture and vocal layering rather than club-oriented percussion. Meta-Message (2005) collects material from her solo period and illustrates her role as both songwriter and studio contributor; her credits across collaborations list vocal, writing and production inputs rather than solely guest appearances.

Specific career highlights are her tenure as Opus III’s lead vocalist, the international success of "It's a Fine Day", and named collaborations with Tiësto, Delerium, BT, Fragma and Hybrid. Those collaborations show how her voice has been used as a melodic and atmospheric focal point across trance and broader electronic productions.

Biographical connections that map onto her musical life: she is the daughter of composer Alan Hawkshaw, and she has been reported as married to record producer Adam F. Those family and personal links sit alongside her published releases and credited collaborations as observable facts about her career.