Now based in the US, The Awakening is a dark music project born in Johannesburg, South Africa in the late 90's as the creative expression of singer, multi-instrumentalist, author, actor and songwriter Ashton Nyte. The Awakening's sound has evolved over the years, incorporating elements of gothic rock, darkwave, gothic metal, industrial rock, post-punk, electronic, new wave and other theatrical excesses.
Frontman Ashton Nyte has released eight solo albums and two books alongside his work as The Awakening. He has contributed vocals and lyrics to a number of other projects involving members of The Cure, Peter Murphy, The Mission, Beauty In Chaos and All About Eve, among others.
Nyte has written for theater productions, performed as an actor, and hosted philanthropic events, including his "Rock Against Rape" concert series and a lecture series at US universities on tolerance and acceptance. His songs have been used in major television series such as Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (HBOMax), The Purge (USA Network) and many others.
Due to his diverse musical styles and theatrical performance, Nyte has been dubbed "Johannesburg's Bowie" by music journalists. With a catalog of over 300 original songs released, Ashton Nyte and The Awakening have been heard on major independent radio stations and charted worldwide. They have toured extensively and headlined music festivals in the US, Europe and South Africa with over 30,000 attendees.
In 2019, Nyte collaborated with composer Ethan Gold on the score for the film Don't Let Go, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. In September/October 2019, he completed a 36-date European tour with British indie artist Wayne Hussey (The Mission). Waiting For A Voice, his seventh solo album and first book of poetry, short stories and personal reflections, was released in July 2020. His second book and eighth solo album, Autumn's Children, was released in August 2023 and was named one of the 17 best albums of 2023 by American Songwriter. In 2024, Nyte contributed his voice and lyrics to the latest album Beauty In Chaos and the movie Pale Horse, directed by the late Pearry Teo. already has over 1.1 million views. The Awakening will be touring extensively in 2025, with dates in the EU, USA, UK and Mexico.