Why Fiona Joy Writes Songs About Far-Away Lands And Princesses

Classical pianists often struggle to receive recognition in Australia. Cessnock-born Fiona Joy Hawkins had no concept of the uphill struggle she would face when she began training as a classical pianist, composing short pieces by the time she was eight years old. Since then she has made nine studio albums (including a Christmas album), one live album, one compilation album, one collaborative album and three digital-only albums (under titillating titles such as Music For Sex and, to a lesser degree, Music For Funerals). She is now a world-renowned performer, even known as the 'Piano Angel' in China. It's an incredible rise to fame considering she first stepped into a recording studio at the age of 38.

 "I consider myself a storyteller and the album [Signature — Synchronicity] includes songs inspired by princesses, dragons, angels..."

One of her most noted songs Grace made it onto the compilation album Winds Of Samsara (Rickey Kej and Wouter Kellerman) which went on to win a Grammy for Best New Age Album in 2015. But for Hawkins, it's more about the connection her audience has with her music than the awards she receives. "When I road tested Grace someone ran on the stage crying and hugged me. She [later] emailed about a stillborn baby girl [Grace] and how my music helped her. She now has a daughter called Sophie Grace and they sit and listen to my music to remember her sister," says Hawkins. She has "covered" her own song on her latest instalment Signature — Synchronicity with a simpler, more personal touch: "I wrote lyrics and did a slow acoustic version [of Grace] and a chilled keyboard version with my son beatboxing and then made videos to bring each one to life," she says.

The ethereal sounds of her instrumentations evoke images of fairy tales and faraway lands — and that's exactly her aim. "The themes [of my music] are modern day fairy tales from an adult perspective. I consider myself a storyteller and the album [Signature — Synchronicity] includes songs inspired by princesses, dragons, angels, rainbows ceremonies and a childhood fascination with the story of the Little Red Caboose. All bought to life within the neo-classical and alternative genre.

"I was trying to look outside my own life at stories that affect other people — which I was mostly successful at — but I kept coming back to one theme about the princess, a tower and a dragon that protects her. Fair Not was a personal story of protection and courage," she says. "Calling Earth is the one that touches me most when I listen back."