Mark Ballas

Ballas is a professional ballroom dancer on the ABC program Dancing with the Stars. He began competing on the show in the fall of 2007. He is also a singer/songwriter/musician for the group Ballas Hough Band, where he composes the group’s music, plays lead guitar and sings lead vocals.

Asia Whiteacre

ONCE UPON A TIME….
The love child of Princess Buttercup and The Dread Pirate Roberts, Princess Asia Whiteacre was born in the mythical land of Torontoshire, Canada, where her first six weeks were full of peril and adventure: fire breathing lizards, rodents of unusual size, tap dancing Christmas trees, and a herd of yapping poodles. The Princess prevailed and journeyed in a flying ship to the lower land of California, where she was cherished and nurtured by the great old wizard, Billy Whiteacre, and the beautiful queen of the mermaids, Kharin Whiteacre. Billy was a magical musician who created a tantalizing musical environment for Princess Asia. One full of rock n’ roll barbecues. “Oops, excuse my language!” And “your boyfriends hot.” “who are you talking about?” “The dude in the green shirt” “…thats my dad.” And last but not least, ridiculous hairstyles.

At some point in Asia’s youth (historians have long since forgotten the actual dates), the Princess attended the academe known as the World Famous Hollywood High School, where she practiced performance and found inside herself an ability to make up musical things involving words and piano tinkles. Soon thereafter, Princess Asia, now known as Persuasia, met the six-fingered man, Sir Maxwell, who had cruelly killed the father of her best friend, Bucket. Later Maxwell and Bucket would battle violently, and for at least like 20 minutes, ending in a handshake and friendship, since, after all, Bucket is a cat, and never actually knew her father. And Mark Maxwell, who did not actually kill anybody, with one sneakered foot in fiction and one in techno pop wonderland, is a wickedly wise producer and songwriter. And Asia was all, “Hey Man, what’s up?” and Mark was all “Not much dude. Just chillin’.” And Asia was all, “That’s cool.” The rest, my friends, is history. (LITERALLY though, look it up in your history books. It’s there.)

Ian Hopkinson

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Hopkinson spent many years crossing the Pacific Ocean between Australia and America, suitcase in hand, writing and performing his music, before eventually relocating to Los Angeles in 2006.

“I came to America not really knowing who I was, but in time I began to find all the missing pieces, says Hopkinson. “Strangers To Ourselves is a story of self discovery that hopefully many people will relate to.”

Hopkinson’s influences are worlds apart. Classically trained from the age of nine, he started a grunge/rock band just out of high school, eventually finding his voice in the modern pop and rock sound, with much loved bands like U2, Pearl Jam, Live, Travis, Coldplay, Portishead, Train, and Crowded House.

The album, Strangers To Ourselves, is co-written and produced with George Merrill, best known for writing Whitney Houston’s hit songs I Wanna Dance With Somebody and How Will I know.

“Hopkinson has a lovely knack for the memorable lyric and melody,” says Merrill. “(Life After) No. 5 is a stand-out. He’s an astounding and gifted writer.”

Another key creative addition to the album was mastering engineer Tom Durack, whose prolific career has included collaboration with the B-52s, Lou Reed, They Might be Giants and Diana Ross. “This project was my favorite this year,” said Durack.

Hopkinson has already performed in some of LA’s most iconic music venues, including the Whiskey, Key Club, Hotel Café, House of Blues, and the Viper Room.

In addition to his own songwriting and performing, Hopkinson is also the founder of Oz City, an event showcasing the best Australian songwriters living in, or passing through, Los Angeles and New York. Featured artists have included Australian Idol winner Natalie Gauci, MiG Ayesa (Rock Star: INXS finalist), Tex Perkins and the Beasts of Bourbon, Cameron Daddo, Aya Larkin and Porcelain.

Hopkinson’s Oz City regularly collaborates with the Viper Room to run quarterly Aussie Band nights at the famous club on Sunset.

The official album launch date of Strangers to Ourselves will be announced shortly.