Benjamin & Mia Hackett are the Australian/Canadian husband & wife musical collaborative known as Azalea. The way their voices blend together in song conjures an imagined romance, much like their own. Before they met, Benjamin and Mia worked hard at their craft but each felt separately, something was missing. Their first songwriting session together, in 2004, led to the discovery that what they were missing was each other.

Fast forward to today, they have now released five studio albums, four studio singles, one live album, were named semi-finalists at the 2018 International Songwriting Competition, and were nominated at the 2018 International Acoustic Music Awards. They have also spent the better part of the last few years performing aboard various cruise ships, all around the world.

Most recently, Benjamin and Mia functioned as Entertainment Hosts aboard Crystal Cruise Line’s Luxury Expedition Ship “Crystal Endeavor” for the 2021 Arctic season circumnavigating Iceland, and the 2021-2022 Antarctic season exploring the magnificent Southern Continent.

Prior to that, Azalea was hard at work navigating the music business amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. They focused their time and energy into some new projects. In May 2020 they established a livestream concert series that is hosted on Crowdcast. They have also spent more time writing and recording new material, specifically, singles.

Their newest release “I’ll Be Fine” was dropped on November 19, 2021. 
“ [it] was written one afternoon over coffee in our living room. We had both recently gone through a situation that was very painful but we were on the other side of it, looking back. It hurt, but we were at peace. We were still grieving, but we were fine.”

“Repeat” was released on February 19, 2021.
“This song was pandemic inspired. We realized during this time how nice it can be to stay at home with the one you love. While the world is a beautiful place, it can also be a crazy place, and sometimes it’s nice to shut yourself inside with your loved one(s) and turn off the noise and chaos from the outside world.”

“Heartache & Whiskey”  was released November 6, 2020.

“Without You” (July 31, 2020) was written for two very special fans. Once Azalea started recording this little gem, they knew it was destined for more than a personal gift, thus their summer single was born.

In May 2015 Azalea was hand picked by GigSalad & CD Baby to play their junket for Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Ontario. In honour of this occasion, Azalea recorded and released a limited edition EP called “Canadian Music Week 2015”. As a salute to GigSalad & CD Baby’s DIY methodology, “Canadian Music Week 2015” was made completely in house with fabric-bound hand packaging.

In 2013, Azalea released the EP "Inside Out". An album which streamlined their folk- tinged pop sound and showcased songs to tug at the heart strings with haunting melodic and harmonic lines. Reminiscent of The Civil Wars, and Fleetwood Mac “Inside Out” shed light on Azalea’s Alt-Country side. The pitch for its successful crowd- funding campaign gave some insight into their work:
". . . it has always been our goal to release quality music that is culturally relevant and speaks to the heart. . . . However, we wanted to take listeners on a journey beyond the routine of everyday life to the place that connects them with their emotions, beliefs, and values in a real way.”

In late 2012 Azalea released “At the End of This Year...”, their seasonal single which has received the nod of approval from CBC radio.

Azalea’s 2010 release, “Coffee & Kisses EP", was among the top three finalists for Recording of the Year, Rock Recording of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year, and Producer of the Year at the 2010 Durham Region Music Awards. The album was featured in prominent music magazines and generated good response from college radio across Ontario.