Sophie B Hawkins Discusses New Singles And 'The Crossing'

Ever wonder what happened to Sophie B Hawkins? Her songs from the 90s "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" and "As I Lay Me Down" were super smash hits that brought the vibrant outspoken singer on the map. Nowadays, she is still touring and creating wonderful new songs with real life inspirations.

Hawkins' new single, "Betchya Got a Cure" is a combination between her internal and external emotions. "I used to write songs that were deeply personal," said Hawkins, "but since I am becoming so passionate about the world around me, that passion and drive is starting to come into my work."

The inspiration for the song came from Hawkins' work on Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. She had gotten extremely involved in the campaign and had started to realize all of the backstabbing that was going on between the Democrats. "You'd think that the backstabbing and the hatred would be between the parties, not within the party itself," said the singer when talking about writing the song. “'Betchya Got A Cure' is my gut response to the media wars in this country which are driving a wedge between citizens. It’s about taking a stand for individuality and being brave instead of being accepted.

When asked if she thought the media would take notice of her song and realize the anger and passion she feels, she said "No way! They are all so narcissistic that they would never be able to look into the song and see that. I always said that a battle for the country is a battle for the soul. If someone can't see the soul, then there is no way that they will be able to understand what I am trying to say. I am writing a new song called 'Sinnerman' and there is so much raw power and emotion behind that song, but I am trying to show people that power doesn't have to only be anger. It can be funny, or happy, and it can definitely be sexy. I am turning power into a sexy power that people aren't afraid to use to get their points across."

She also talked about how there are so many people in this world who "have no soul."

"I have a two year old son, and I don't want people like that to influence my son in a negative way. That's why I keep calling for a change, so that my son and children everywhere can keep their innocence still in tact.

Hawkins' past two singles, "The Land, The Sea and The Sky," and "Flying at Half Mast" both come from real life stories. "The Land, The Sea and The Sky" was a ballad she wrote when she saw the oil spill disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico. The song was released on iTunes with all its net proceeds benefitting the Waterkeeper Alliance. "Flying At Half Mast" is a song in honor of those who lost their lives in the shooting in Tucson, Arizona, in January.

“This song is about the people of this country raising our level of expectation for our future as we grieve the loss of innocence, represented by 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, and freedom represented by the open spirit of Representative Gabrielle Giffords,” says Hawkins.

The album isn't all about real life events. "I used to write a lot of songs about my internal emotions and what I felt, but there are definitely songs on the album that are showing my external emotions as well. My fans will be able to see that there are two different types of songs on the albums quite clearly."

Hawkins says she is excited to be on tour. She loves that she has the ability to be completely free on the stage.

"I can be completely spontaneous, which is absolutely wonderful. I don't like it at the same time, no one wants to be nervous all the time, but that nervousness mixes with the excitement I feel on the stage, and it makes for a wonderful performance. There is something about the stage that makes it so much better than being in the studio. I always connect with my audience; a concert to me is a collaboration between me and the audience and I love it so much. The one thing I don't like about being on tour right now is that my new album (which is called The Crossing) isn't out yet. But that's ok, because I am going to go back on tour after the album comes out."

Some artists refuse to play the hits that made them famous, because they believed that they have "moved on" since then. Hawkins is definitely not one of those artists.

"Of course I am going to play my old songs! Those songs made me who I am today, they made me famous and gave me the chance to keep performing and doing what I love. Most people who buy a ticket to my shows today are going to be buying that ticket for one of those songs; why would I ever deny them the chance to hear their favorite song? I'll even play some songs twice, just because the audience loves it so much. I want people to come to my concert and afterwords be so happy about the song selection. I never want someone to come and feel ripped off because their favorite song was never played. Thats not fair to the audience."

Sophie B Hawkins is an amazing artist that still has the same power and passion for music as she did back when she first came out onto the music scene. "I want everyone to keep track of what I am doing right now with my music. I have so much to share with everyone!"

More songs will be released on her Twitter (@therealsophieb) page, Tumblr and Facebook.

"I am going to be releasing demos and songs that aren't on the album on these sites. I write songs constantly, and I want my fans to be able to hear them. It's also easier to release songs on the internet. No one is buying CD's anymore, so I needed to find a way to promote my music. But I can also release songs without all of the pressure of success attached to it."

Sophie B Hawkins' new album The Crossing comes out soon, and "Betchya Got A Cure" is on iTunes.