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Post by Libby on Jul 13, 2009 2:43:41 GMT
But how do you describe her to people who aren't familiar with her? Like, when people ask me what kind of music I listen to, I'm often at a loss at what to tell them, because what I listen to is more about the singers than the music. How do you explain Hayley's style in a way that will get people interested, and want to find out more about her themselves? I guess you can say what a beautiful voice she has.
Recently when trying to describe her style to a co-worker, I said they call her a classical crossover artist, but that this really allows her to sing a wide variety of styles. Being labeled a crossover artist seems to allow her to incorporate other styles that she likes into the mix. When I explained this to my co-worker, she thought that was "cool". So, telling people she is a crossover artist isn't so bad, as long as you can tell them what that means. If you say that they're a classical singer, they will automatically think of slow, "boring" music, and won't be interested at all.
People who only listen to pop, rock, rap, etc. might consider Hayley's music, with her soprano voice and classical songs opera, just because they don't know another word for it.
Benny's description of Hayley as "an extremely talented and successful musician who is loved by millions" would be great, too! Because that's really just what she is! Is it really "millions", though?
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Post by BenCMitchell on Jul 13, 2009 9:19:35 GMT
Hi Libby
I do believe that Hayley is loved by millions - she has sold over 3 million albums.
Hayley is a cut above the rest in terms of being loved I think, because of the geographical location of where New Zealand is in the world - not many musicians would be recognised on the streets of a city so far away from where most successful artists are from today. Hayley has achieved amazing international success from a country that is not predominantly known for its musical output, although some of the music that I have heard from New Zealand recently is well worthy of being recognised on the popular music scene.
Her success from her homeland could only have been achieved through her millions of fans
Cheers
Ben
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Post by nicola on Jul 13, 2009 9:28:00 GMT
I wouldn't have said millions, either. 3 million album sales altogether, not 3 million sales per album. She has seven albums.
I agree with Libby. It's okay when you know Hayley, but generally speaking, any artist needs to be categorised for the wider public. Of course there is more to an artist than being a "pop" artist, or a "classical" artist, but that distinction is made later on when someone has looked into that artist.
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Post by BenCMitchell on Jul 13, 2009 10:20:07 GMT
Ah well, I'm out voted here!!
These are just my views, but back to the purpose of the thread - she is no opera singer!!
Cheers
Ben
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Post by martindn on Jul 20, 2009 22:01:28 GMT
Hi Ben,
You know, if I look back, there are many great artists that are great becuse they ploughed their own furrow. They did things thier way. They, if you like, invented a new musical category.
Whoever was like Led Zeppelin before Led Zepellin. So they called it "Rock", becuse it was beat music, but they were nothing like for example Cliff Richard, also called "Rock". Ditto Pink Floyd who were nothing like either.
So they invented a genre called "Progressive Rock", to which the purists will tell you, neither Zeppelin nor Pink Floyd (or Cliff Richard) belong. It was supposed to be a fusion of "classical" and "rock" styles, and the two bands I mentioned are it seems more influenced by jazz and blues than by classical music. "Progressive Rock" is rightly, we are told the preserve of bands like Yes, early Genesis and Renaissance, full of instrumental virtuosity and unusual time signatures. Yet somehow the same label stuck to Floyd and Zeppelin too.
So in the end, Zeppelin were the fathers of a new genre, "Metal". The other bands in that genre that followed were variations on the same idea.
So I suppose "Opera" is anything that involves vocal virtuosity and it not backed by a regular beat played on the drums. Hayley is "opera" because there is no drum kit (usually) in her band. And rightly so, in her case clattering would simply detract from the beauty of that wonderful voice.
So "opera" as a description of Hayley's music simply grates. Did Joni Mitchell compose opera might be a good question to ask. Or Andrew Lloyd Webber for that matter, although he is a lot closer to opera than most of what Hayley sings.
In the end she ploughs her own furrow as I said. She is unique, as are many great artists. Hayley's USP is her great voice much more than what she chooses to sing I think. I could listen to her forever, and not much care what she sings.
Martin
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Post by stevemacdonald on Mar 25, 2011 0:35:23 GMT
Let's face it, Hayley will forever and ever be referred to as an "opera singer" — or worse, "opera star" — by lazy-minded journalists in the popular media. There's really nothing we can do about except cringe and move on.
But wait.... there must be something that can be done and I think I know exactly what it is: ask Hayley to start each concert with a badly done opera song, with apologies before and after that she is "still working on that proper operatic technique". Then let her go on to her better material of the crossover kind that she does so well. The opening aria will produce laughter and mock cheers and essentially make a joke about her status as an opera star. The ensuing real concert will amply demonstrate that her true talent is as a classical-crossover singer, just in case anyone covering it had any doubts.
Oh sure, Hayley's acquitted herself beautifully as as performer of arias on occasion, and may still opt to do that when it serves her purpose. But it would work wonders for her overall image if she were free from the widely-held misconception that she specialises in opera. At this point I think that only she can make the world see her correctly. Playing it up in a deliberately silly way might just do the trick.
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Joe
Administrator
Supporting Hayley since 2003!
Posts: 6,715 
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Post by Joe on Mar 25, 2011 2:00:23 GMT
Note to Steve...April Fool's Day is next Thursday  |
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Post by spiderman on Mar 25, 2011 2:39:11 GMT
Note to Steve...April Fool's Day is next Thursday umm, actually. its FRIDAY |
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Joe
Administrator
Supporting Hayley since 2003!
Posts: 6,715
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Post by Joe on Mar 25, 2011 3:00:00 GMT
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Post by Libby on Mar 25, 2011 5:45:51 GMT
Do the people who write her articles go to her concerts? Sometimes they do, I guess, but only if they do a report about her concert. And Hayley never sings badly, and I don't think it would do her "image" any good. If she sang "badly", people would think she's a bad singer. I've already seen awful comments on her O Mio Babbino video. She sang it beautifully, and people still hated it.  Even if they call her an opera singer when she's not, they at least still probably acknowledge that she is a very good singer. |
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Post by martindn on Mar 26, 2011 2:07:02 GMT
Well said Libby.
I'm absolutely sure that Hayley would never deliberately sing badly. And I don't think sheis into making contntious points during her live performances either.
Hayley likes to make a big splash at the start of the show by doing something spectacular, like singing a capella. It would blunt her impact if she deliberately did something badly.
Nothing wrong with Hayley's "Babbino Caro", Sue has always loved that aria and her favourite recording of it is Hayley's. It is mine too of course. She sings it beautifully, despite what the opera purists might think.
Martin D
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Post by Libby on Mar 26, 2011 4:09:35 GMT
I thought the song was kind of boring when I heard Sarah Brightman's version. But Hayley sings it so beautifully that it's among my favorite Hayley songs.
I think if people hear her beautiful voice and still think it's opera, then that's their problem. The important thing is whether they like what they hear or not, no matter what they want to call it.
I once contacted a writer of an article about one of Hayley's concerts, who called the songs she sang opera. From the response he gave (I don't remember every word; it was 3 years ago), I came to the conclusion that some people think classical and opera are one and the same.
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Post by mihizawi on Mar 26, 2011 19:40:43 GMT
I came to the conclusion that some people think classical and opera are one and the same. Something I will never stop from correcting! About Opera purists and snobs, well, if they can't enjoy anything different from Opera, it's their problem... And those who post negative comments are not representative of all of people who listen to Opera, I am sure many of them like Hayley's version at least a little bit. Also, out of the ones who post negative comments, there are many who are ignorant even in their own Opera field, which is proven by the comments on a video of her recording of Dido's Lament. They criticise her for singing it too light and not showing the emotion in the "right" opera way, which is a heavy vibratto and a darker voice; however, they seem to ignore that this aria is by Purcell, a composer from the baroque era, and so it was meant to be sung in the baroque fashion, without a heavy vibratto and with a much lighter and brighter voice, as sung by, for example, Elin Manahan Thomas, and Hayley's recording is closer to that than (amazing yet more modern-fashioned) performances by for example Jessye Norman. So, usually people who post entirely negative comments on videos are only to annoy and argue, and they don't deserve any atention. As for the suggestion by Steven, I must say it is not only not suitable for Hayley, but also rather counterproductive. Besides of missing the truth and not helping in the recognition of Classical Crossover as a genre, there's only one bad result for Hayley in being called an opera singer, which is the criticism of those opera snobs who look at everything taking as reference the standards of opera... If Hayley performed deliberately badly an opera aria, it would be even worse, as those people mentioned before could easily thing of it as if she was laughing and showing disrespect to opera, and would be even more critic. Anyway, even if it seems hopeless, I think the only way to fight against her being called opera would be to insist in correcting those mistakes, writing and protesting to the ones who make them. Michal |
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Post by Dennis S. on Mar 27, 2011 1:42:16 GMT
I came to the conclusion that some people think classical and opera are one and the same. That's a common missconception, especially here in the USA. But in the end, people are people, if kindly corrected enough times it'll eventually stick. |
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Post by martindn on Mar 27, 2011 3:19:06 GMT
I came to the conclusion that some people think classical and opera are one and the same. That's a common missconception, especially here in the USA. Stragely enough, people don't describe musical theatre as opera, despite it being much closer to it than most "classical" stuff or most of Hayley's stuff. Martin D |
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