Ladyhawke: 'You have no idea what I have been through'

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Ladyhawke: 'You have no idea what I have been through'

She hated physical contact, shunned company and once locked herself in her house for three months. Then, two years ago, Pip Brown was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. So how is she coping with life as Ladyhawke, the next big thing in pop?

By Luiza SaumaSunday, 16 November 2008

JO METSON SCOTT

Brown says she "really regrets" talking about her Asperger's

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When New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Ladyhawke was beamed down into the music scene earlier this year, it was difficult not to be a little cynical. There was something too perfect, too Shoreditch-cool about her Stevie Nicks hair, her angelic face, those detached blue eyes and the 1980s revivalism of her music. Before long, Kylie Minogue's people were calling Ladyhawke's people to tell them that Kylie loved her – as does Canadian electro superstar Peaches and grunge crackpot Love. Her self-titled debut album of big, blustery pop songs was released to widespread acclaim in September – but who was the elusive young woman behind it?

Ambling into her PR's east-London office, Pip Brown – as she is known to her parents – cuts a striking figure. Tall and resplendent in stripey trousers and Dr Martens boots, her kohl-lined eyes framed by that voluminous blonde mane, she's quite the gangly, glamorous tomboy as she shakes my hand shyly and coos at the office kittens. The singer admits to being a little wary around journalists, and with good reason: recently, she revealed to a British newspaper that she has Asperger's syndrome (a form of autism) which suddenly shifted media interest from her music to her autism. Among other traits, the syndrome manifests itself typically in social communication difficulties and, according to the National Autistic Society, "limitations in imagination". Hardly the stuff of showbusiness legend, and entertainers with Asperger's are few and far between: the actress Daryl Hannah (diagnosed borderline autistic in childhood) is one; Craig Nicholls, frontman of Australian rock group The Vines, is another. Still, everyone loves an against-all-odds story, and here was Brown's.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ladyhawke-you-have-no-idea-what-i-have-been-through-1017492.html