Hawkins began performing professionally as a percussionist with Bryan Ferry in the early 1980s. Her debut album, Tongues and Tails, was discharged around 1992. It achieved each critical plaudit & worldwide commercial profits. A only Shucks I personally personally Wish I Was Your systems Lover attend #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles' chart in the USA. Whaler, her 2nd album, was freed around 1994. It besides contained a Top 10 hit, the song When We Lay Us Down.

Numbers of of Hawkins' songs come openly just about sex, like "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" and "I Need Nothing Else"; in Quality, songs like "32 Lines", "Beautiful Girl", & "Your Tongue Like the Sun in My Mouth" began to treat explicitly using her bisexuality. Her influences include jazz, rock, and African music.

The 1998 documentary by Gigi Gaston called The Cream Might Rise is according to Hawkins' life. It follows her when you took one of her tours & captures her struggle to treat by having the preceding pain sustaining her personal, including her mother & brother. Music & riffs by Hawkins come involved throughout a film.

Sophie experienced a long conflict using her record company before her third album, Timbre, was freed. She wanted to apply the banjo in the song "Lose Your Way", however her company wanted her to have the supplementary mainstream instrument, like the guitar. She eventually won retired by using the support of a loosely-knit class action of Internet-based fans.

Timber was re-freed around 2001 on her own label. It was bundled by having the bonus disc containing freshly songs, demonstration, remixes, and cds.

Her foremost independently recorded & discharged album, Woods, was freed within 2004.