She was picked by director Brian Gibson to star in the film Breaking Glass, alongside Phil Daniels, Jim Broadbent and Jonathan Price. She won the Variety Club of Great Britain’s 1980 Film Actress Of The Year award and was also nominated for Best Necomer. Hazel wrote and performed all the songs for the film and the best-selling album (produced by Tony Visconti) was also nominated for the Best Film Soundtrack BAFTA. Breaking Glass was Dodi Fayed’s first film as an executive producer.

Born in Coventry, England, Hazel O’Connor had a story to tell long before she hit the headlines as the first major female star of the 80s. She left home at 16, lived in a squat in Amsterdam, travelled to Morocco then headed across the pole to Japan where she worked as a dancer. Next stop was Beirut in the Lebanon, to dance at The Crazy Horse. However civil war broke out and she was forced to leave. She travelled from West Africa, overland, crossing the Sahara desert, to North Africa, finally getting back to London and wondered what to do with the rest of her life – well she was 21 now. Inspired by her older brother Neil O’Connor and the punk movement, she decided to try her hand at singing and song-writing “because singing made me happy” she said.

 

Click on the images to read the interview
Smash Hits articles - taken from http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/
(great collection of early issues) -

Her next album Sons and Lovers spawned the hit Decadent Days (aka D-Days). When she performed the song on Top Of The Pops, she shocked the nation when she stripped down to her black bra and miniskirt.

Live in Princess Street Gardens 2000 - review
What can I say about Hazel O'Connor that hasn't already been said in the last twenty years or so? The rain had subsided just in time for Hazel's set to start, it could be said that not only did she bring light to our hearts with the melodic tones of her powerful voice and lyrics but she also managed to bring the weather with her from Ireland! Hazel has been through great times and bad times which were mostly brought on by a dishonest record company and it only seems to have made her determination and lyrical genius stronger. If you, like me, are only a short way from your twentieth birthday sadly you will only have distant memories of her two biggest hits in the seventies D-Days (from Son's and Lovers) and Will You (from Breaking Glass). This gives you an even stronger reason to go and see her perform live at the Claremont from the 18th to the 28th of August excluding the 23rd, as you have no idea what you have been missing! If you are like my counterpart PoL and are thirty or above I have no doubt that you remember her albums Beyond Breaking Glass and Son's and Lovers really well and again you should not miss this performance of Beyond Breaking Glass part two.

Hazel O'Connor, Cormac De Berra (harpist) and Mario N'Goma (percussionist) played a storm on Thursday night at Princess Street Gardens. They of course played the two hits everyone was dying to hear but in a much less punk orientated style, which still managed to fit beautifully with the sentiment of the songs. As they went on to perform other songs from her other previous albums and extracts from her latest production of Beyond Breaking Glass part two the audience was clearly entranced, as was I, by this (unjustly) lesser-known diva's performance. The concert hosted by BIGART.COM was made by Hazel O'Connor's strong performance and technically tight backing, this group performed some of the most beautiful and spiritually uplifting music I have heard for a very long time. Attendance was good and there was a big family presence there, as many children danced in the gap between the stage and seated area the parents were entranced by the soulful music which seeped through the fair evening air. If you missed this wonderful evening, even if you didn't, go and see Hazel O'Connor, Cormac De Berra and Mario N'Goma in their latest production Beyond Breaking Glass part two.

S.E.Steele

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Hazel O'Connor - BBG
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
Friday 10th March 2002 -

If enthusiasm is a measure, Hazel gets 10 out of 10. The preparations for the show were meticulous, lighting, sound, positions and order all carefully arranged to ensure that the audience got a first class show. The fact that it was sold out was another great incentive.
This show is a sought of talking biography with music and passion. Cormac assisted Hazel with the words and dramatising the various anecdotes. The songs were all there and of plenty new stuff to fit the 'story'. Those in the audience expecting a standard rock n'roll delivery, raised an eyebrow or two, but there was plenty of interest and they were won through.
This was very different, but when the eyebrows dropped, everyone relaxed into it. There were certainly many happy bunnies at the end. Above all, this was a fantastic opportunity to see Hazel, a huge talent, right there, close up, giving everything, nothing hidden.
Cormac also did a superb job on the Irish Harp and Mario certainly knows how to rattle a bongo.

Albums released in 2002:
:::Ignite:::
:::Acoustically Yours:::

Friday 28th March 2003 - Jailhouse Coventry - THE RETURN OF COVENTRY LEGEND

Many moons ago I saw Hazel O'Connor at The Stage (RIP) here in Worcester and it was one of (if not the) best gigs I've ever seen. A gig where I didn't really know what to expect only knowing a few songs (from Dad's collection) and discovering a passionate performer with real bite. So when I read about this gig I knew that I had to go, even though the Roses Theatre seemed a strange venue for this former punk rocker. We arrived at the venue and to our shock the only visible instrument on stage was an Irish harp, thinking this as a support act or something we settled back in our seats. The harp player began strumming and plucking his instrument and then Hazel took to the stage along with a percussionist this was not what we were expecting. As soon as Hazel began to sing everything was instantly fine the voice and presence took over. After the first stripped down number she began her life story speaking of her childhood, running away from home becoming a dancer abroad and so on. When she reached a certain point the three-piece would launch into another stripped down version of one of her songs. The songs in this stripped down context were superb relying on the incredible voice of Hazel accompanied by delicately plucked harp and rhythmic beating of percussion. Hazel O'Connor's live story is a compelling one full of heartache and triumph and the band helped act out the story. You couldn't take you're eyes of the stage the performance was truly mesmerising, classics such as Calls The Tune, Monsters In Disguise and the inevitable Will You were received by raptures of applause. They also performed lesser-known songs such as the heartbreaking Rebecca and Beyond The Breaking Glass proving that despite being out of the limelight Hazel O'Connor has lost none of her songwriting ability. The whole set was such an experience from start to finish a really interesting way to deliver the material that proved to me again that Hazel is one of the best performers around. The evening was topped off by meeting Hazel after the gig and getting a copy of her new album signed along with a poster (hey I'm a fan) that I'll treasure.

www.jailhouse.com

:::2009:::Reviews, Articles:::