It probably isn’t all that often that a self-confessed rock chick ends up being well on the way to being a trance superstar. For Emma Hewitt however, owner of one of the silkiest and most recognisable voices in trance music, that’s exactly how it started.

“From a young age, I have always loved trance, but growing up in the Australian music scene everything just seemed to be more geared towards rock music and live bands, so that is the path I initially took,” she reminisces about how it all began. Fame and huge successes were just around the corner though, and both got a serious move along when while in London, she met none other than one Chris Lake. The story that follows is the type of thing that fairytales are made of.

“He heard a demo of mine through a mutual friend, and at first he asked me to try singing on his track Changes. I went up to Scotland to try some recording with him: as it turned out Changes didn’t really suit my vocal style, but we decided to write something else in the few hours we had left. Carry Me Away then just kind of happened. The track just came out quite quickly and we recorded it in his home studio before I headed off for the airport…it was just one of those synchronicities!"

Indeed. As we all know, Carry Me Away would go on and be a huge commercial success, and Hewitt’s vocals were absolutely crucial to the sound and with it, the success of the tune. While she would dabble in rock a little more, her passion for electronic, and in particular, trance music ultimately came to the fore, and talking about it now, that passion is palpable. “It has far surpassed the world of bands for me now, the sounds, the feeling of the music, everything about it.”

And needless to say, she has been kicking goals all over the place, most recently teaming up with the likes of Dash Berlin and Cosmic Gate to produce some out and out classic trance tunes. Asked what it was like to work with such trance producers, Hewitt is full of nothing but praise. “They are all great guys, not to mention extremely talented producers and DJs. I have a lot of respect for the way they all approach the studio process. They are both extremely meticulous artists and take the utmost care with the song,” she says. “These are guys who are just so passionate about the music they create; it’s inspiring to be a part of that process and witness it first hand as the songs take shape.”

Once again, it is the passion that shines through, and hearing her speak of her desire to keep on striving for more success, it is, if nothing else, mighty impressive. Similarly, is the candor of where she draws her inspiration from. “It is always from the people around me and their experiences, friends, family, my own experiences. People I see in the street leading me to wonder about their stories and how they got to where they are,” she adds. “Also the music I am writing will usually bring up a certain feeling and will take me down the path of where the song wants to go so a lot of the time it is just about getting in the right head-space and being open to receiving song ideas.”

Her collaboration with Dash Berlin in the form of monster hit Waiting – no doubt a catalyst for a tour across the country with the Dutchman – seems to have taken her up another notch in trance circles. Last week, the tune managed to clock up it's one millionth view since September. An impressive feat for an equally impressive tune, and Hewitt speaks of being not only positively overwhelmed by crowd reactions to it, but tremendously heartened that so many people have been able to resonate with it. That said, she is absolutely humbled when told that no less than Armin himself labelled the tune as one of the best of 2009.

“Oh that is amazing, I didn’t hear that! I have been really excited by the reaction the track has been getting so far, I never really have any expectations with a release, so it is always an amazing surprise when a track gets a positive response from people.”

In a career that is fast taking off, she can pinpoint a particular highpoint, namely, performing live with Cosmic Gate. “It was a pretty cool gig at Ministry of Sound in London, such a great club that I had always wanted to visit – so performing live with such great guys was truly something else.”

So, where to for Emma Hewitt in 2010? Needless to say, there is no rest for someone that is so clearly driven and focused, and kudos to her. There is talk of a track with Lange which she is truly excited about [expect its release around March] as well as work with Gareth Emery and Marcus Schossow. Her main focus however is to continue writing her own album, which she promises will be out at some point this year.

But as we wrap things up, it is her final comment that resonates strongly with us trance fans – where the music is seemingly so wrapped up in the passion and the love of it: “I want to perform to as many people as possible, see as much of the world as possible and to release music that I can be proud of.”

Emma Hewitt, we salute you.