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Post by roger on Feb 27, 2008 21:26:21 GMT
Hi Carrie and welcome to the forum from me, even if I am late in saying it! So, having bought that first album, did it lead to you buying more? If so, I hope you enjoy them all nearly as much as being an active member of the forum!  Roger |
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Post by timj on Feb 27, 2008 22:30:47 GMT
The Tony Danza Show was on the TV in 2004 and I heard Hayley singing Pokarekare Ana, stopped me in my tracks, most beautiful voice I ever heard. Travelled 154 miles to New York City to see her at The Supper Club that fall, sometimes I travel even further now....TimJ
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Post by the28sky on Feb 27, 2008 23:28:30 GMT
The first time i saw You Raise Me Up at Slane Castle, I enjoyed all the girls but one of them had something different.. she looked more elegant than the others, and despite her young age she was a queen on stage. Only a few voices had catalyzed my attention like she did. And I'm talking about Bryan Adams, Freddie Mercury or David Gilmour. She had a voice out of this world.. I'm looking forward to see her on stage someday and in the mean time.. I envy many of you  I'm joking Greetings, Emil |
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Post by meldy on Feb 28, 2008 1:20:48 GMT
Hayley who? --> Wuthering Heights --> Celtic Woman --> Hayley Westenra One of my favorite novels is "Wuthering Heights" (Bronte!) and out of the blue searched for it on a music search engine. I was surprised to see there was actually songs with the "Wuthering Heights" titled. I saw Hayley's name but never really took notice, I didn't know who she was. Then I saw her with Celtic Woman (whom I was already a big fan) and then purchased Hayley's albums  I actually then realized I had heard Hayley's voice before! I think it was with Andrea Bocelli. Meldy  |
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Post by carrie on Feb 28, 2008 22:21:32 GMT
Hi Carrie and welcome to the forum from me, even if I am late in saying it! So, having bought that first album, did it lead to you buying more? If so, I hope you enjoy them all nearly as much as being an active member of the forum! Roger Thanks! Yes, I have all of her albums now. I do love them all. I have two versions of Odyssey and Treasure . I think Pure and Odyssesy are my favorites, though. |
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Post by roger on Feb 28, 2008 23:04:17 GMT
I have all of her albums now. Well done, Carrie, that was the right answer! If you don't already have it, your next acquisition needs to be the DVD, "Live From New Zealand". Roger |
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Post by spiderman on Feb 29, 2008 4:15:49 GMT
hi folks,
i always feel a little mean following long eloquent posts with 3 lines or so.. but.
i bought her first album out of curiousity [no not,WITA] and thought it sounded nice so when i heard there was a concert with hayley i went. it was lovely, so was she and the rest is history.
given her age at the time, was a little surprised to be one of the youngest people in the audience.
the spiderman
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Post by postscript on Feb 29, 2008 17:29:39 GMT
I have all of her albums now. Well done, Carrie, that was the right answer! If you don't already have it, your next acquisition needs to be the DVD, "Live From New Zealand". Roger But you are forgetting the two books! The World At Her Feet might be difficult now but there is no knowing if or when they reprint In Her Own Voice. Peter S. |
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Post by carrie on Feb 29, 2008 22:17:46 GMT
I have all of her albums now. Well done, Carrie, that was the right answer! If you don't already have it, your next acquisition needs to be the DVD, "Live From New Zealand". Roger I do have the DVD actually! I've had it for a few years, I love it! But you are forgetting the two books! The World At Her Feet might be difficult now but there is no knowing if or when they reprint In Her Own Voice. Peter S. I think the books are the about the only thing I don't have! I really want them though. Nowhere around here would have them, though, so I guess I'll have to order them or something |
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Post by Cherany on Jan 9, 2009 14:15:23 GMT
I discovered Hayley while on a research expedition to the South Island of New Zealand back in the early '00s. My assignment was to find and identify urban buskers to see if they could someday be employed to sell bags of Doritos to Americans. Don't ask why .... it was the new marketing and all the chips companies were outdoing themselves with unusual campaigns involving jugglers and weightless astronauts. Staking out the streetcorners of Christchurch, I stumbled upon a trio of siblings who were making great music and raking in loads of tips from transfixed passersby. The oldest of the three was also the lead singer, and her astonishingly pure voice filled the air with an angelic spirit unlike anything I had ever experienced. I knew I had made a truly amazing find but how could I explain to my bosses back in New York City that the busker they were seeking to be the new face of Doritos was just a young teenager? I thought it over for a few days and returned to that magical corner where I'd first encountered these remarkable buskers, but, horrors, they were gone! In their place was a sandwich-board sign that read: "Thanks everybody but we're on to bigger and better things!"  That was the best story! My, this thread has been dead for a while. Might as well throw my bit in & attempt a revival. I discovered Hayley in a far less exciting way, though I will never forget how. About a week before, I'd picked up some instrumental CDs at Target, those generic ones w/ unknown artists playing, for $1 each. They turned out to be just barely worth the price I paid for them, but they did get me thinking about how some nice, easy-listening/classical music could get me out of the rut I was in (I was fast outgrowing the bubblegum pop music I'd loved as a teenager). A few days later, I picked out a couple of $10 generic instrumental CDs at Wal-Mart, thinking I might get something better than what was on those $1 Target CDs. As it turned out, they were only slightly more impressive & left me wanting much more. So, I turned to iTunes. At the time, I pretty much listened to mainstream pop music only, and I was a bit lost in the classical section, so I just sort of clicked around. Most of what I previewed was rather boring, and I felt lost as to how to find anything good. Then, I noticed a new release with a young girl on the cover, sitting up on rocks on a beach. It was Odyssey, of course. I thought, "Oh, that's a pretty cover. I'll check that out," really expecting to hear piano or violin music, rather than a voice. I don't recall the first track I previewed, but I do recall the surge of interest & excitement I felt. The music I had been searching for, that I didn't know how to define at the time (classical crossover, as we now know it), was suddenly just there. Coming from the bubblegum land of Spice Girls adoration, I wasn't immediately keen on the classical numbers. But songs like Never Saw Blue & What You Never Know had me so hooked, I couldn't believe my ears. I looked her name up & discovered Pure, which I also loved many songs from. I purchased both, burned a CD with my favorite tracks, and played it non-stop in my car, singing along & pretending I had a voice half as gorgeous as hers. At the time, I was still living with my parents & would play her music a lot on the computer. I recall my mother working near me once & hearing Hayley's music. She asked, "Now who is that?" in a very impressed voice. I told her Hayley's name & could tell she didn't recognize it, but she followed with, "She has such a pretty voice!" My mother is a rather forgetful person, so that wasn't the last time we had that conversation. Over & over, she would express delight over Hayley's sweet voice, and I felt so excited to have discovered her, as if I were the only person who knew her music (in a way, I felt I was... my friends had never heard of her). A few years later, I was still listening to the same few tracks of Hayley's & itching for more, so I had a listen to the tracks I'd previously deemed too classical or just not my taste (oddly, Pokarekare Ana was one of them - betcha don't hear that too often, though I admit I was CRAZY, as it's one of her best & one of my favorites now!) & loved them. I'd gotten used to her voice in such a way that regardless of which style she sang in, I wanted to hear it. Now, I love every one of her songs, and some of the ones that took me a while to warm up to have become favorites. Drifting a little off-topic, but attempting to liven up my probably otherwise boring post, I will tell you that Hayley gained two new fans when I adopted a couple of dogs. Every time I played She Moves Through the Fair, the high-pitched sounds in it would cause them to be silent & still & twitch their ears in that adorable way dogs do when they are concentrating on a sound. I knew then that they were definitely the right dogs for me! (They've since gotten used to the song & don't react the same way, though I have found the bird sounds in Listen to the Wind get a reaction!  |
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Post by grant on Jan 9, 2009 14:57:02 GMT
Hi Cherany That's a great story and don't wory about the length of your post, no story about discovering Hayley could ever be boring! Your dogs have very good taste too. Best wishes Grant |
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Post by Cherany on Jan 9, 2009 15:36:59 GMT
That's a great story and don't worry about the length of your post, no story about discovering Hayley could ever be boring! Thanks! I'm always at a loss as to whether to post things online after I realize I've practically written a novel! On one hand, I'm like, "I'm not wasting all that typing!" On the other, I think, "Omg, that is a BOOK. No one is going to want to read through all that!" |
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Post by roger on Jan 9, 2009 16:27:30 GMT
Don't worry, Cherany, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You carry on and we'll see you in the Maestro category before you know it! While Hayley is at home, these are bound to be quiet times. Thank you for helping to keep the forum alive. Roger |
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Dave
Administrator
HWI Admin
Posts: 7,700
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Post by Dave on Jan 9, 2009 16:54:01 GMT
Don't worry, Cherany, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You carry on and we'll see you in the Maestro category before you know it! No she won't, you know, not with every post as long as that, Cherany won't have enough hours in the day to post them!  Seriously though, *I* read it all Cherany, it's an interesting story! Your mother's description "She has such a pretty voice" describes it very well indeed! Cheers, Dave |
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Post by ironman on Jan 9, 2009 18:17:08 GMT
This past christmas I seen celtic woman on TV and one night I was on the internet and wasnt tired and didnt have anything to do so I looked up celtic woman. I read about Lisa Kelly and then clicked on Hayley. Somwhere reading about Hayley I heard one of her songs. I never heard such a perfect voice so that led me to a few mp3s and to this website and now her dvd and cds.
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