Anna Hawkins and her sister Lisa Grace Hawkins have today announced their release of Simon & Garfunkel's classic 'The Sound of Silence.' The pair are excited to join forces on the beautifully crafted single, releasing it with Southbound Records in tandem with a 60's-era themed music video which they had fun filming in Tauranga. Sound of Silence is one of many songs Anna's been busy recording in Europe this past year with Polish producer Pawel Zarecki. It is also the first to be heard from the yet-to-be-revealed new album coming out in 2017.
"We've performed the song live together a few times as a duet and it's been really popular so to finally have a music video and single available for people to enjoy is awesome," says Anna. "It's amazing to me to think that 50 years after its original release, the song still has the same depth and relevance.” Interestingly, it was this song that unexpectedly brought Simon & Garfunkel back together after their original music failed to gain traction and they were in the process of parting ways.
Growing up, Anna and Lisa always had a creative and musical bent. Both artists in their own right, Anna has two full albums and an EP to her name and her younger sister, emerging singer songwriter Lisa Grace is just entering into the world of professional music, opening for Mae Valley in Hamilton September 10th. "We're both really supportive of one another, so of course we love to collaborate. People often comment to us on the way our voices blend, especially in this song.. We put it down to the genes."
Anna promises her next project has some surprises in there. "As a whole, it's going to be more upbeat than my previous albums. I've explored some new themes and crossed over genres a little bit more, it's taken a slightly new direction, allowing me to experiment with my own songs which has been a whole lot of fun." The full album is due for release in early 2017. You can find out more on her website www.annahawkinsmusic.com or view the music video on her YouTube channel