About
Sarah Jay Hawley is a platinum-winning, internationally renowned singer/songwriter with a career spanning thirty years
For the last two decades, Sarah Jay Hawley has also brought all her passion, expertise and experience of being a professional musician into her role as a vocal/performance coach.
Sarah Jay’s voice and songs have been heard by millions on Massive Attacks’ platinum selling album Mezzanine.
Sarah Jay’s sultry ‘Dissolved Girl’ tones woke Keanu Reeves at the beginning of ‘The Matrix’ and serenaded Bruce Willis in ‘The Day Of The Jackal’.
Sarah Jay co-wrote and sang the theme song, “Wire” for Michael Winterbottoms’ anti-war film ‘Welcome To Sarajevo’ and was recently remixed for the hit TV show ‘Westworld’– to name but a few of her credits.
Sarah Jay Hawley has also written music & songs for:
- Toni Christie – Perfect Moon (listen here)
- Film Four Productions – Hold Back The Night [Urge To Breathe] (listen here)
- Hed Kandi – To The End (listen here)
- Warp Records – Yeah You (listen here)
- WestWorld Soundtrack Album – Dissolved Girl (listen here)
- Charles Webster – Far Far Away From My Heart (listen here)
- Charles Webster – This Is You [All Systems Gone] (listen here)
And many more…
Sarah Jay Hawley has headlined many international festivals – including Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage.
She has also written and sung on over 80 international releases as a session singer/songwriter, mainly on the British Electronica scene and has performed consistently for more than three decades.
After many years away from the spotlight, focusing on raising a beautiful daughter, being a vocal coach and music mentor, as well as overcoming serious illness, tragedy and loss – the ‘Dissolved Girl’ is back…!!!
Listen to Sarah Jay's latest release!
“Sarah Jay Hawley’s evocative vocals get under your skin in a way that you won’t forget in a hurry…”
Buy Sarah Jay's music
- Soundtrack for the Film 4 production
- Released: 25/05/2018
- Label: Independent
- Format: Digital Download, CD
- A collection of songs about the fragility and strength in love.
- Released: 01/09/2018
- Label: Independent
- Format: Digital Download, CD
- 3 uplifting tracks from electronica project "3 Days Later..."
- Released: 30/06/2018
- Label: Independent
- Format: Digital Download, CD
The Story behind Sarah Jay's career:
Sarah Jay Hawley grew up in a shabby seaside town in the North of England, in the seventies. Her family’s passion for music, art and books kept her sane. In a whirlpool of booze ‘n’ chips, love ‘n’ neglect - music was her safe and magical place. Above the noise and chaos.
From the age of three, learning jazz standards round the old piano with her dad, Duke Lewis, she revealed a natural talent for singing, songwriting, storytelling and harmonising.
Sarah Jay started turning heads performing jazz and blues in pubs and working men’s clubs as a kid. At the tender age of thirteen, her mum died, leaving the home without a keystone, and it quickly fell apart. Age fifteen she got a working-class golden ticket out of poverty and into Art School.
Hundreds of gigs and thousands of hours were spent building skills and a reputation in Sarah Jay’s new home, Sheffield. The steel city, as it’s known, was alive with music. Collaborating with DJs and session singing became her main focus.
In 1991, (the UKs legendary second summer of love) Sarah Jay released her first single ‘Yeah You’ with The Step, on the ground-breaking label ‘Warp Records’. Sarah Jay spent the nineties partying, performing live across Europe and America and recording sessions on more than eighty 12 inch records with DJ’s and techno heads.
After singing at the Billboard Convention in San Francisco with dance producer Charles Webster, Sarah Jay moved to London where she was discovered by Massive Attack, who needed collaborators for their album, Mezzanine.
After writing ‘Wire’, the soundtrack to Michael Winterbottoms’ film Welcome To Sarajevo. Sarah Jay toured the world with Massive Attack and co-wrote the sultry ‘Dissolved Girl’ for Mezzanine, which made it onto many soundtracks, including ‘The Matrix’, ‘The Jackal’ and ‘Westworld’.
“Playing festivals in Iceland was astounding and Japan was pretty amazing. But headlining at Glastonbury is the peak of my career… so far” – Sarah Jay Hawley
A publishing deal with Island/Polygram music followed as she continued to write songs in many genres.
A family crisis prompted Sarah to leave Massive Attack, in the middle of the tour.
“It was the most difficult and heart wrenching decision that changed the course of my life and career” – Sarah Jay Hawley
The family dust settled and she got back to work, touring Europe with Charles Webster and his band ‘Presence’. Performing the albums ‘All Systems Gone’, and ‘Born On The 24th July’, Sarah Jay featured alongside Shara Nelson.
Sarah Jay performed her last dance diva gig, whilst pregnant, at the Moulin Rouge in Paris in 1999. After nearly twenty years of being full on party girl, constantly on the road, the death of her father and sister, and divorce (all in the same year) brought unresolved childhood trauma to the surface and led to a breakdown.
Sarah Jay chose to step off the rollercoaster and to build a home. Shifting her focus, finding a new passion as a creative mentor and qualified yoga instructor.
Sarah Jay’s talents as an artist and mentor were snapped up by leading music schools in the UK, including The British Institute Of Modern Music [BIMM], where she worked as Head Of Vocals and music tutor until…
…a debilitating life changing stroke, quickly followed by cancer and to top it off – a car crash! This series of unfortunate events left her out of action and unable to work.
Sarah Jay stubbornly ignored doctors, who told her she’d never read again, and has spent the last five years in recovery, learning to read again and writing her memoirs, and recording her long overdue solo album, “Zen, Drugs ‘n’ Rock ‘n’ Roll”, which will be performed live as an audio-visual “Gig Theatre” piece this summer.
After many years away from the spotlight, focusing on raising a beautiful daughter, being a vocal coach and music mentor, as well as overcoming serious illness, tragedy and loss – the ‘Dissolved Girl’ is back…!!!
Contact Sarah Jay
Get in touch to collaborate with Sarah Jay, or book her for an event.
Email sarahjayhawleymusic@gmail.com or use the form below:
