A DRIFFIELD musician is about to hit the big time across the Atlantic after one of her songs was snapped up for a Hollywood blockbuster.
The future career of acoustic artist Edwina Hayes, 36, is now looking very bright with her version of Randy Newman's Feels Like Home featuring on the soundtrack of major motion picture, My Sister's Keeper, starring Cameron Diaz which hits cinemas tod
ay.
The track is taken from Edwina's second self-produced album Pour Me A Drink , released on her own label Twirly Music, released in February last year.
But just six months later Edwina received an email from Warner Brothers in California enquiring about licensing rights to the song.
Edwina said ever since events have unfolded like a "sit-com" and the whole experience has been "really amazing."
To hear Edwina's music and see a clip from the film, log on to http://www.edwinahayes.com/Also at http://www.myspace.com/edwinahayesAlso at http://twitter.com/edwinahayesAlso at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Edwina-Hayes/10811230134"I asked how did they come across my song and they told me the director himself brought the song to the table," Edwina said.
Edwina believes her amazing story started when satirical celebrity blogger Perez Hilton featured her music on his website which included a link to her MySpace website page.
"I went from having 80 hits on My Space to 25,000 within 24 hours of that going online and I had quite a few orders for my album from America, especially California. All I can think is one of those CDs ended up in the director's hands," she said.
The approach from Warner Brothers came as a welcome bolt out of the blue for Edwina who had recently quit her job as a cleaner to concentrate on her music.
The news also coincided with the discovery that Edwina's song Pour Me A Drink had been covered by Nanci Griffith for her latest album The Loving Kind.
"Both of these bits of news came at a time when I was the happiest I have ever been but also the poorest I have ever been," she said.
Edwina said seeing the clip of the film, directed by Nick Cassavetes, accompanied by her song was the "weirdest thing" and she is planning a trip to a cinema in Hull with her friends and family to catch it on the big screen.
Edwina has enjoyed much success in her music career since hitting the UK acoustic scene in 1999.
In 2005 Warner Brothers released her debut album Out On My Own, while in recent years she has opened several shows for Van Morrison, undertaken 26 shows for Jools Holland and performed twice for Michael Parkinson at his Maidenhead pub The Royal Oak.
Dublin-born Edwina grew up in Preston before moving to East Yorkshire as a teenager and insists that no matter where her career takes her, Driffield will always be home.
"I love my East Yorkshire. It's lovely travelling, but it's always nice to come home," she said.
