Stef Paglia and Kaz Hawkins: beyond the blues

Stef Paglia and Kaz Hawkins found common ground on stage through a shared language: music that is direct, expressive, and capable of moving effortlessly from blues rock to soul, from americana to Celtic influences. For Blues Actu, Marc Loison met separately with the Belgian guitarist and the Northern Irish singer, now based in Normandy. Two engaging personalities, united by their love of the blues.

Stef Paglia: Letting the Guitar Speak Through Emotion

Stef Paglia, guitarist for Kaz Hawkins since 2019, was long associated with The Bluesbones, a band he recently left after fourteen years to focus on his solo career and his work alongside the singer. At just 31, the Belgian musician of Italian descent looks back on a calling that began early, when his father introduced him to Stevie Ray Vaughan through Live at El Mocambo when he was 12 years old. “It completely blew me away! I thought, that’s what I want to be like!“

With Kaz Hawkins, Stef Paglia says he has found a demanding but inspiring musical playground. His role is not simply to play solos, but to support a voice, sense every shift in emotion, and remain attentive to what happens both on stage and among the audience. “She sings so beautifully that I keep asking myself how my guitar can support her voice even more. Every time, I try to be as emotional as possible and serve the song in the best way I can.“

Stef Paglia proudly holding up his live album released in 2025.

A Family of Musicians

For Stef, what truly matters is the collective. Alongside Kaz Hawkins, he performs with Amaury Blanchard on drums, Julien Boisseau on bass and Cédric Le Goff on keyboards. A band where everyone is encouraged to contribute ideas, colours, riffs and musical directions. “Everyone has a role to play in the band, and she loves writing together because the band really is like a family.“

Alongside this adventure, Stef Paglia continues to pursue his own artistic path. He speaks about his solo career, his desire to write and sing, and the invaluable support of his friend Iris Teunissen, who has become an essential part of his creative process, especially with songwriting and project development. “What I have to say, I want to express through my own music and my own songwriting.“

While Stef Paglia reflects on his role within the band and the balance he has found alongside Kaz Hawkins, it seemed only natural to give the floor to the woman at its heart. The Northern Irish singer talks about her new album, her move to Normandy, and a period in her life when creating music became a genuine path to healing.

Stef Paglia. Photo: Soulshine Productions

Kaz Hawkins: Finding Her Way Home

Now living in Normandy, close to the English Channel, Kaz Hawkins has found a new sense of balance in a quieter environment. Her relationship with the sea, the coastline and this peaceful setting also shapes her new album, Coming Home, which she describes as the most personal record of her career. “Coming Home is the album I’ve always wanted to make. It was the first album where I truly did what I wanted, from the production right through to the creative process.“

For this album, Kaz Hawkins worked with Mathis Richter in Berlin. She explores a more intimate and more Celtic side of her musical identity, without abandoning the blues but refusing to be confined to a single label. “Sometimes, on the blues circuit, you get put into a box labelled blues, and I’ve never been like that. I’ve always been a storyteller. I’ve always been a singer.“

The album also revisits songs that were written many years ago, some more than twenty-five years earlier. Several were born during particularly painful periods of her life. Restored from an old demo, Beyond the Sun becomes both an artistic and deeply personal act of rebuilding.

A White Horse on a Breton Beach

The video for Coming Home owes much to an unexpected encounter. During a creative residency in Brittany with photographer and filmmaker Philip Ducap, two horses suddenly appeared during a photo session. One of them, Cameron, eventually became one of the project’s defining visual symbols. “Horses were never part of the original story!“

In Celtic mythology, the white horse symbolises transition, strength and rebirth. It is an image that perfectly reflects an album conceived as a journey back to oneself rather than to any particular place.

Gary Moore on the Brezoi Stage

Kaz Hawkins will be artist in residence this summer at the Brezoi Open Air Blues Festival. She will take part in several highlights of the event, including a tribute to Gary Moore alongside Jack Moore, Danny Bryant and Ben Poole. “On July 23, I’ll be leading a tribute concert to Gary Moore. We’re going to celebrate Gary Moore!“

But for Kaz Hawkins, the most important thing remains the powerful connection she shares with her audience. To her, the stage is a place of exchange, almost a calling, where music becomes a way of giving something back to those who need it. “As long as I can keep making music, I’m happy!“

As these two conversations unfold, one thing becomes clear. While Stef Paglia brings subtlety, sensitivity and a true sense of teamwork, Kaz Hawkins continues to follow a deeply personal artistic path. Two very different artists, united by the same belief: sincere music needs no label to reach people’s hearts.