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Post by grant on Jan 8, 2009 23:47:17 GMT
To a degree Martin, I envy you your introduction to Hayley. To see the gorgeous 'little girl' she was, before hearing her amazing voice must have been a mind blowing experience.
My first time was quite different but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I already knew what she sounded like, and forget the fact that I was determined I was going to meet her, but it was her stage presence that blew me away.
One minute I was sat in my seat waiting for the concert to start; the next minute Hayley walked onto stage. Her stage presence is phenomenal. The moment she appeared, her smile had already captivated the entire audience and they were eating out of her hand.
Yes! She could have stood there and recited the telephone directory and the audience would have remained mesmerised. The thing that really hit me was that afterwards, I had to look at photographs to remember what she was wearing! It really didn't matter to me at all and it still doesn't. She has a presence on, and off, stage that I have never experienced with anyone else.
Best wishes Grant
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Post by martindn on Jan 9, 2009 0:28:02 GMT
Hi Grant,
Well, my introduction was not that different really. There was the surprise element, not knowing what to expect and to be honest being totally blown away in seconds once she started to sing. I was completely overwhelmed, all I could do after first hearing Pokarekare Ana was to croak something incoherent at Sue. No other singer has ever got to me so quickly or so powerfully. The skinny little girl, who I had not expected much from, perhaps at best some sort of pale shadow of Charlotte Church, had just comprehensively proved me wrong. But you are right,it certainly blew my mind. That was nearly five years ago, and I still don't think I have recovered.
But yes, I totally agree about her stage presence. I didn't quite believe what I had experienced afterwards. But I've have now seen her perform eight times, (nothing compared to you I know), and the magic never fades, she still blows me away.
Martin
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Post by Richard on Jan 9, 2009 8:35:13 GMT
Hello everybody! This thread is drifting off-topic. There is another thread titled 'How did you discover Hayley?' HERE, which might be a more appropriate place to continue the present discussion. Many thanks, Richard
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Jillian
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Post by Jillian on Apr 8, 2009 8:39:08 GMT
Something that I do find quite interesting (and admirable) about Hayley is her seeming lack of concern about the way she's sometimes portrayed by the media. I've spent a bit of time going back through the 'Hayley in the Media' thread and reading all the news articles. One thing that I noticed in almost every article is the constant attempt by journalists to 'dig some dirt' -- coupled with Hayley's constant assertions that there's nothing to find. The overall effect being the creation of some sort of 'Goody Two Shoes' image. I understand that as a 22 year old, she's now mature enough to understand who she is as a person and be able to disregard those sort of judgements. But I don't think any young person would ever like to see themselves painted in such a way. Article after article after article...... I'm actually quite, nay very, surprised that a younger Hayley never seemed desperate to be considered 'exciting' or 'interesting' by the press. I think that everyone would like to think that others thought of them as such. I suppose it's easy for older people with much life experience to say that you needn't worry about such things, but for a young girl such judgements would have been quite down putting. I know that when I was a bit younger (15-17 or so) I was desperate to be seen in any other light than what I really was --- quite a non-exciting, nerdy school girl with a fixation on good marks -- and I was quite keen to make show of anything which I saw as being slightly scandalous or exciting (ha, ha -- all very tame and lame when I look back! Mainly involving cutting all my hair off and dyeing it red and pretending to like drinks I actually couldn't stand! ) I eventually grew out of that phase and I know that I am what I am (and anyone who has a problem with that can go jump), but I'm sure it's something that most people can remember happening in some capacity in their own lives. The completely cohesive and seamless progession of Hayley's image from a very young girl to a 22 year old is quite remarkable. Or maybe it just looks that way from the outside in -- very possibly Hayley would not think the same herself! Or maybe it's a product of being involved in a big marketing machine from the onset of teenagedom and all the odd bumps and quirks were tucked away. I don't know, I know this is rambling, but I do think that Hayley must have a very strong sense of self in all of this -- because I'd imagine the temptation to do something to shock people slightly to get a kick out of it or make obvious attempts to portray herself in a less revserved manner must definitely be there. Note: Just to make my thoughts clear -- by saying all of this in no way am I suggesting that 'shocking slightly' involves the good ole celebrity stereotype of 'falling out of clubs drunk' etc etc etc. Just a thought.
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Post by larryhauck on Apr 8, 2009 13:57:14 GMT
Hayley's projected image is a breath of fresh air. I have have the privilege of meeting Hayley and speaking with her several times. She is a delight to talk with. For 22 years of age Hayley is the most level headed, personable young lady you'll ever find. Compared to some of the other young women in the entertainment industry she is head and shoulder above them in her presentation of her image. If that's perceived as being a goody two shoes then so be it. In the U S we have so many young performers that behave badly that I regularly travel to Europe to see Hayley.
Larry
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Post by martindn on Apr 8, 2009 20:35:46 GMT
Hi Jillian and Larry,
Yes, I agree. The stereotype of young people in the music industry is so much "sex and drugs and rock and roll" that to find somebody as different to that sort of image as Hayley is, is itself quite radical and shocking. That Hayley is not afraid to be different is clear. I often think that the bad behaviour of some artists is an attempt to seek cheap publicity. Bad behaviour seems to make the news. Good behaviour doesn't, and is seen by some as boring. But those who behave badly to cour publicity are perhaps not being true to themselves. They pretend to live in some sort of world where you can do any outrageous thing you like, but it is harmless and nobody gets hurt That is simply not true. And it is dishonest to pretend that it is.
I think that Hayley is refreshingly honest. She does not try to pretend that she is something that she is not to court publicity. She wants her sheer talent to do the talking, but it seems talent is not enough to interest the "gutter press". And I agree, her outstanding talent should be enough. And for some of us it is.
Hayley is a very determined young lady, and she has the drive and talent to succeed despite the worst that others can do to try to change her. Hayley is GOOD, and the fact that her concerts often sell out months beforehand is a testament to that. Im my opinion she should not compromise her high standards. Other inferior singers might fee they need to use ugliness to sell their music even if they are not really ugly people. Hayley has true beauty, why should she have to pretend to be ugly?
Martin
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Post by Libby on Apr 8, 2009 22:14:07 GMT
I remember an article where Hayley was asked about Charlotte Church's behavior and lifestyle choices, and Hayley said that "it's not me", although she kindly didn't say anything negative against Charlotte. Also, in other interviews, she's said things like she will drink occasionally, but she will never do anything that might compromise her career, which is most important to her. I think her choices are more than just because of her career; I think part of it is probably her upbringing and the environment she grew up in, so I think she has good values anyway.
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Jillian
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Post by Jillian on Apr 8, 2009 23:37:06 GMT
You're all right, of course -- Hayley is everything a young classical singer of 22 ought to be. She just gets treated the way she does from various parts of the media because she did start out very young and as a consequence they 'expect more'. I'm very interested in the media and the way it portrays people and the way people seek to be seen through it. Reading through the articles, though, I did notice an effort on Hayley's part in recent times to portray herself as a more relaxed individual. I've noticed that she did often slip in references to her scaling back her once quite strict health regime and also mentioning that she does let her hair down a bit more. Maybe I'm being naive, but I honestly hope that a decent proportion of Hayley's next album is original material -- preferrably with input from Hayley. That way, come interview time, there's a whole score of easy questions and conversation topics where Hayley can talk about herself, her creativity and showcase her personality -- thus creating questions which have fascinating answers, rather than the old questions about which there's nothing really to say. I know that everyone immediately jumps to the idea of wild rock and roll lifestyles and using sex to sell cd's when the words "shock slightly" and "interesting" are mentioned. I wasn't talking about that at all. A prime example of it in Hayley land would be how someone mentioned the shocked looks on some ladies' faces when she launched into Wuthering Heights! ---------------------------------------- Maybe I should mention the overall subject of the topic -- Hayley's clothes (yay! ) and her 'refusing to dress like a tart'. I'm some what curious about what that means. I honestly can't imagine that Decca would seriously want Hayley to really dress like a tart -- it would be out of character in the extreme and wouldn't suit the current music/style of Hayley anyway. The only thing that I'd suggest (if Hayley is continuing in the classical vein -- but who knows) is an all out glamour asault -- more so than what there is now. For starters, it would give me something to talk about in my fasion thread (as I'm running out of ideas). Secondly, I rather see it as being what people want to see from Classical musicians. Big hair, big frocks, big bling... lots of striking, glamour photo shoots. What Hayley did in a recent tour program is exactly what I'm imagining.
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Post by postscript on Apr 9, 2009 10:29:32 GMT
Something that I do find quite interesting (and admirable) about Hayley is her seeming lack of concern about the way she's sometimes portrayed by the media. [because she realises its insignificance to what matters to her]
...I understand that as a 22 year old, she's now mature enough to understand who she is as a person and be able to disregard those sort of judgements. But I don't think any young person would ever like to see themselves painted in such a way. Article after article after article.
... The completely cohesive and seamless progession of Hayley's image from a very young girl to a 22 year old is quite remarkable. Or maybe it just looks that way from the outside in -- very possibly Hayley would not think the same herself! Or maybe it's a product of being involved in a big marketing machine from the onset of teenagedom and all the odd bumps and quirks were tucked away.
I don't know, I know this is rambling, but I do think that Hayley must have a very strong sense of self in all of this -- because I'd imagine the temptation to do something to shock people slightly to get a kick out of it or make obvious attempts to portray herself in a less reserved manner must definitely be there... [she does this in the diversity of her singing and pushing herself always to new horizons. Her art is her all, that is where she chooses to attract attention just by being who she is.] Hi Jillian. I think that what you describe is a 'state of being' of certain talented people that CAN come with the territory but not always. You may not be aware of Kate Nicholson but she published her autobiography, Kate and Gin, when only 17. She reached the finals of one year 'Britain's Got Talent' with the dog she had taught to dance since the age of 12. It is too early to say whether it will last but at the outset, Faryl Smith shows the same qualities you indicate about Hayley. It is also true of many people who do not make the world headlines and I am thinking of many untrumpeted young people without great talent but are still very talented at becoming 'great' people to know and with whom one wishes to be associated. Were I a newspaper editor I would go to great lengths to applaud the 'good news' of our young people and reduce to a back-page of just one or two paragraphs reports of the loutish behaviour of the over-vociferous minority. Regretfully our world makes too much of too little and dismisses too easily that which is of more weighty matter. Peter S.
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Post by martindn on Apr 9, 2009 23:25:56 GMT
Jillian, I think you hit the nail on the head. But I'm not convinced she is remotely rebellious, she is simply determined to be herself. She knows she has a phenomenal talent, but is not always sure how to make the best of it, although she is sure that she wants to make the best of it. So she tries out lots of different things, in the hope that one will "take off" and show her the most productive direction. To make a big breakthrough into the mainstream, she needs to specialise, and id not sure what specialism to choose. The problem is that she is brilliant at everything she does, and could therefore be successful in any number of different career paths. We don't help her, since we love everything she does. Perhaps her current most successful direction is her Japanese songs, although sales of HSJS2 appear to be disappointing. It disappoints me too, since i love that album. It is clear that Hayley put a lot into it. Even so, I think that with the right promotion, those albums could succeed anywhere. But perhaps another radical thing about Hayley is that I have never come across an artist who could address such a wide variety of styles so successfully, and seemingly so effortlessly. Others seem to agonise about doing something radically different, and seem to think it takes time to learn how to do it. Hayley just does it.
Martin
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Jillian
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Post by Jillian on Jun 6, 2009 14:16:29 GMT
As I was looking through some of the photo agency sites for some photos of Hayley, I came across some photos of pre and post record company makeover Delta Goodrem (Australian popstar). Call me cynical, but I think it's a bit of a shame how they got a very pretty girl and turned her into a Hollywood clone. Of course she's still beautiful, but she lost that uniqueness that made her an individual. Delta's story makes me a bit wary of the supposed 'image makeover'. Image makeovers are great when it is what the individual wants, but in most of the cases I've seen they happen when the record company wants a cheap promotional tool. Jillian, I think you hit the nail on the head. But I'm not convinced she is remotely rebellious, she is simply determined to be herself. She knows she has a phenomenal talent, but is not always sure how to make the best of it, although she is sure that she wants to make the best of it. So she tries out lots of different things, in the hope that one will "take off" and show her the most productive direction. To make a big breakthrough into the mainstream, she needs to specialise, and id not sure what specialism to choose. The problem is that she is brilliant at everything she does, and could therefore be successful in any number of different career paths. We don't help her, since we love everything she does. Perhaps her current most successful direction is her Japanese songs, although sales of HSJS2 appear to be disappointing. It disappoints me too, since i love that album. It is clear that Hayley put a lot into it. Even so, I think that with the right promotion, those albums could succeed anywhere. But perhaps another radical thing about Hayley is that I have never come across an artist who could address such a wide variety of styles so successfully, and seemingly so effortlessly. Others seem to agonise about doing something radically different, and seem to think it takes time to learn how to do it. Hayley just does it. Martin Hi Martin, I also had a think about what you said. It reminded me of a quote that I recall Hayley's mother saying about how she didn't think that Hayley was rebellious and neither was she -- because her own parents never really stopped her from doing anything, so there wasn't much to rebell against. I think that attitude may have something to do with it -- I think that Hayley has been given as much freedom as she wants. Wasn't she reasonably young when her parents decided that it was fine for her to run her own flat in London by herself? I think that a lot of the rebellion of the young Hollywood stars comes from being constantly watched and controlled and then when they have time to themselves they go a bit crazy. I know that attitude myself -- I'm the youngest of 4 (with ages ranging from 44 to me at 20) and have a father who, despite being 65, is still a wild 20 year old with a sportscar and a leather jacket in his own mind (I'm convinced that's what he thinks). So there's nothing left that I can really do that could shock anyone, so there's no point, I suppose.
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Post by larryhauck on Jun 6, 2009 17:17:51 GMT
Hi Y'all, I don't think the term rebellious is germane to a 22 year old.
Larry
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Post by martindn on Jun 6, 2009 22:39:25 GMT
Jillian,
We know Hayley likes to be in control of her career. Even as an inexperienced 15 year old, she insisted on having Wuthering Heights on her album, and won the day.
My own position in my family is identical to Hayley's, the eldest of three children born three years apart. And I didn't really rebel either, although I had my share of arguments with my parents, but I suppose everyone does. With me it went no further than that. And like Hayley I left my parents home whilst still a teenager, in my case to go to university. I don't know if you have dont the same. And shortly after graduating, had a job that involved setting up home in a foreign country, which in my case also involved learning a new language. So I had to learn to stand on my own feet quite young.
Eldest children are the trailblazers, and perhaps do learn to stand on their own feet more quickly than their siblings. And we are also the ones that our parents are learning on too. So I think we are perhaps well equipped to plough our own furrows, and so long as what we do is not destructive or self-destructive, I don't see why wise parents would not encourage that.
Martin
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