Post by Caitlin on Mar 19, 2006 19:19:26 GMT
HAYLEY WESTENRA
Hayley Westenra is really sweet. No, really, she is. Perky and still breezy despite being shut in all day doing interviews, she has the kind of porcelain skin and blonde good looks that would drive boys wild. That is, if she can be bothered with them.
“It’s tragic really, on that front,” she laughs. “It’s hard because I’m so busy. I’d have to be with someone who was really, really understanding.”
The young men after Hayley’s heart would also have to tick ‘many little boxes’.
“I’m ultra fussy,” she declares. Asked what kind of little boxes, she pauses for thought before reeling out a whole list of desirable qualities including physical attractiveness, understanding, able to make her laugh and most importantly, he would have to be a music lover.
“I like to share my passion and it would be a bit awkward if the guy didn’t have any interest whatsoever in music!”
So does the ultra-lush Ms Westenra have a candidate in mind that fulfills her wish list? She looks coy when the question is posed.
“Maybe...I’ve got my eye on a couple of people”, she says mysteriously. She hastens to add that she is not necessarily drawn to celebrities, just people with similar interests.
At 18, Hayley has not yet shown any signs nor does she desire to go down the path of ‘chasing after the number 1 hits’. The media has been watching her like a hawk in some places that she visits, waiting for the inevitable late night drunken brawl or quickie marriage a la Britney Spears. Alas, she has disappointed them on many a turn.
“I’m not a big fan of binge drinking or anything like that. I’m quite happy where I am, with the road I’m going down at the moment”.
The most exhilarating thing she can remember having done to step out of her comfort zone is learning to water ski.
“I thought...oh my gosh, I’m going to make such a fool of myself. But then I thought, hey, you only live once and I might not get this opportunity again”.
She still gets excited about the stuff any Kiwi girl would – like meeting the Queen for example, which she rates as being more impressive than singing for George Bush.
“I was like...what do I do, do I curtsey?” She settled instead for a memorable handshake.
Hayley does seem very self-aware at an age when most other young people are experimenting with relationships, alcohol and drugs. Perhaps it’s that good ol’ Cantabrian sense. She even lists her favourite comfort food as Cookie Time cookies, how much more Kiwi can you get?
“They don’t have them overseas”, she mourns. Put it this way, if she’s going to be snapped sunbathing topless by the paparazzi like that other famous teen classical musician, Charlotte Church, it won’t be happening anytime soon.
A discreet knock on the door reminds us that our time is up. Talking to Hayley has been so much like gasbagging with a girlfriend you haven’t seen for a while that you don’t really notice the ticking of the clock.
She does have one final story to share about meeting the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
“It was surreal,” she admits, especially as she’s always admired the culture and tradition of that country.
Her advice to nzgirls: “Even though people think that NZ is a small country, the fact that we are just makes it easier to get to the top of the pile. If you’ve got a dream, just follow it. Have faith in your abilities and don’t look back”.
That in context, coming from a girl who has fought to find her niche in the classical world with nothing but a very big voice and the bravado of her Kiwi ancestors, is inspiring advice indeed.
Karen Tay
Hayley Westenra is really sweet. No, really, she is. Perky and still breezy despite being shut in all day doing interviews, she has the kind of porcelain skin and blonde good looks that would drive boys wild. That is, if she can be bothered with them.
“It’s tragic really, on that front,” she laughs. “It’s hard because I’m so busy. I’d have to be with someone who was really, really understanding.”
The young men after Hayley’s heart would also have to tick ‘many little boxes’.
“I’m ultra fussy,” she declares. Asked what kind of little boxes, she pauses for thought before reeling out a whole list of desirable qualities including physical attractiveness, understanding, able to make her laugh and most importantly, he would have to be a music lover.
“I like to share my passion and it would be a bit awkward if the guy didn’t have any interest whatsoever in music!”
So does the ultra-lush Ms Westenra have a candidate in mind that fulfills her wish list? She looks coy when the question is posed.
“Maybe...I’ve got my eye on a couple of people”, she says mysteriously. She hastens to add that she is not necessarily drawn to celebrities, just people with similar interests.
At 18, Hayley has not yet shown any signs nor does she desire to go down the path of ‘chasing after the number 1 hits’. The media has been watching her like a hawk in some places that she visits, waiting for the inevitable late night drunken brawl or quickie marriage a la Britney Spears. Alas, she has disappointed them on many a turn.
“I’m not a big fan of binge drinking or anything like that. I’m quite happy where I am, with the road I’m going down at the moment”.
The most exhilarating thing she can remember having done to step out of her comfort zone is learning to water ski.
“I thought...oh my gosh, I’m going to make such a fool of myself. But then I thought, hey, you only live once and I might not get this opportunity again”.
She still gets excited about the stuff any Kiwi girl would – like meeting the Queen for example, which she rates as being more impressive than singing for George Bush.
“I was like...what do I do, do I curtsey?” She settled instead for a memorable handshake.
Hayley does seem very self-aware at an age when most other young people are experimenting with relationships, alcohol and drugs. Perhaps it’s that good ol’ Cantabrian sense. She even lists her favourite comfort food as Cookie Time cookies, how much more Kiwi can you get?
“They don’t have them overseas”, she mourns. Put it this way, if she’s going to be snapped sunbathing topless by the paparazzi like that other famous teen classical musician, Charlotte Church, it won’t be happening anytime soon.
A discreet knock on the door reminds us that our time is up. Talking to Hayley has been so much like gasbagging with a girlfriend you haven’t seen for a while that you don’t really notice the ticking of the clock.
She does have one final story to share about meeting the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
“It was surreal,” she admits, especially as she’s always admired the culture and tradition of that country.
Her advice to nzgirls: “Even though people think that NZ is a small country, the fact that we are just makes it easier to get to the top of the pile. If you’ve got a dream, just follow it. Have faith in your abilities and don’t look back”.
That in context, coming from a girl who has fought to find her niche in the classical world with nothing but a very big voice and the bravado of her Kiwi ancestors, is inspiring advice indeed.
Karen Tay