NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Rainmaker Public Relations) - No need to adjust the thermostat - Fiona Joy Hawkins is enjoying a wild ride through various exciting climates with Ice: Piano Slightly Chilled, the latest release on the innovative Australian based pianist/composer's
Little Hartley
Music label that is currently the hottest new age album in the world.
The collection is currently ranked No 1 on New Age Reporter's Top 100 New Age/Ambient/World Radio/Internet Airwaves Chart.
No 1 in NAR is quickly becoming a familiar spot for Hawkins, who created a global sensation with the two bestselling indie instrumental recordings that launched her career. Her 2005 debut Portrait of a Waterfall hit No 1 on the NAR World Charts, made the top five in the MusicOz Awards for the classical genre, and was a finalist for Best Piano Album at the 2005 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards.
The multifaceted performer - whose music is a staple on Sky FM internet radio's solo piano channel - followed that with Angel Above My Piano, which won Best Piano Album at the NAR Lifestyle Music Awards in 2006.
The terms "new age" and "classical" may be part of Fiona's past, but with Ice: Piano Slightly Chilled, she's taking on the future full throttle, fashioning a new exciting hybrid genre she calls - and which the world will soon embrace as - BLEND.
The popular collection breaks ground on this emerging vibe, and fans everywhere are catching on and grooving right along. Her song "Frosted View" was nominated for the MusicOz Awards, making the finals while still in the demo stage. She uploaded four tracks from the album on MySpace in July 2007, and within the first two days was offered a global deal for two CDs with MG Music (Medwyn Goodall's UK-based label) - for both Ice: Piano Slightly Chilled and her classical CDs as well as an album release in Asia with Mesa Music.
Clearly, BLEND is long overdue. "Music is an art form, a movement, ever evolving and ever changing," Fiona says. "Every so often, we're faced with a new generation of musical interpretation and therefore need to qualify it in some 'new' way. BLEND can be defined by the direction taken by instrumental artists all over the world, the new genre that takes over from New Age and turns distinctly in another direction. Artists like myself who are committed to the future of instrumental music are tired of being lumped into the tried and true new age category. And even though you can live your day listening to BLEND, it could never be described simply as 'ambient.' We're way beyond that now, committed to a style that encompasses creative inspiration to thrill the discerning ear. It's a whole new day and everyone's really excited about it!"
