Hayley Article in BOYZ Magazine Spring 06

[Steve H]

Hi Andrew,

Some people are never satisfied !!

Your Buddy!

Steve

[Andrew]

Hi Steve,

I'm just arguing for the sake of arguing!



Andrew

[fusilier23]

Just as a point of clarification, I never meant to say that Hayley had a troubled personal life, one or two stupid incidents aside. Now, that other singer has had a VERY troubled life, as well as having a powerful voice, hence her becoming something of a gay icon and playing events like the Cardiff Mardi Gras (featuring the Welsh Dragon in pink, yuk) and G.A.Y. in London, complete with a staged offering of flowers vs. liquor (no prize for guessing which she picked). The chewing gum thing was kinda yucky, but ok, if that's the worst they could ask, it's ok.

I do not think Hayley is on the way to becoming a gay icon, in the UK she performs in a lot of churches and her music still has a religious element to it which I don't see her discarding any time soon. Maybe I'm wrong, but a lot of her standard pieces, Ave Maria, Amazing Grace, I Say Grace, are songs I would associate either with Catholicism or with what I'll call "evangelical" Protestantism, not denominations that are particularly gay-friendly. Mind you, I don't think she's particularly against that either, she comes off as the kind of person who welcomes all people.

[graemek]

Andrew to quote you :
"Hi Stuart,
Many thanks for enlarging the scan... We can certainly read the text more clearly now (do we really want to? ), but it's a shame we can no longer see Hayley's very elegant shoes
Andrew "

That original is on the official site at this address:
www.hayleywestenra.com/hayley-westenra-gallery9.htm#
complete with those classy shoes!!
All the best for your exams too!!
(I missed the purpose of the exams)
Graemek

[Joe]

Thanks for the scan, Stuart! That interviewer really asked some unusual questions.

[portia]

When will they stop comparing her to Charlotte Church? God, I'm not particularly enthusiastic about Hayley, and even I'm sick of it.

[Richard]

Hello Stuart and everybody!

I managed to read most of the interview yesterday, but it's much easier now. Personally I thought it was a rather trivial interview in a strange publication, but it shows that Hayley is willing to chat to everybody. For those who miss the shoes from the smaller scan, here is the complete photograph from Hayley's official site.

Best Wishes,

Richard

[postscript]

dave said:

postscript said:

Without knowing any of the text that really says how diverse her audience is and how wide is her appeai!
Peter

Hi Peter,

I edited out from your quote the copy of Stuart's scan, I hope you don't mind but it was taking up a lot of (duplicated) space and bandwidth in the thread!

Stuart (and Steve!), thanks for the bigger scan - my eyes don't feel fuzzy any more!

Cheers, Dave

No problem Dave. In my book its called 'cost-effective utilisation of time and resource.' I think Hayley would approve. She is anything BUT long-winded---except when sustaining a note, of course!
Peter

[postscript]

andrew said:

Hi Steve,

I'm just arguing for the sake of arguing!



Andrew

Sounds like those exams must be going okay, then!!! Or just desperate light relief?
Peter

[postscript]

fusilier23 said:

Just as a point of clarification, I never meant to say that Hayley had a troubled personal life, one or two stupid incidents aside. Now, that other singer has had a VERY troubled life, as well as having a powerful voice, hence her becoming something of a gay icon and playing events like the Cardiff Mardi Gras (featuring the Welsh Dragon in pink, yuk) and G.A.Y. in London, complete with a staged offering of flowers vs. liquor (no prize for guessing which she picked). The chewing gum thing was kinda yucky, but ok, if that's the worst they could ask, it's ok.

I do not think Hayley is on the way to becoming a gay icon, in the UK she performs in a lot of churches and her music still has a religious element to it which I don't see her discarding any time soon. Maybe I'm wrong, but a lot of her standard pieces, Ave Maria, Amazing Grace, I Say Grace, are songs I would associate either with Catholicism or with what I'll call "evangelical" Protestantism, not denominations that are particularly gay-friendly. Mind you, I don't think she's particularly against that either, she comes off as the kind of person who welcomes all people.

May I suggest that she would never publicly acknowledge her views on such subjects. Not out of political correctness but that she does not see the nature of her stance on controversial issues being related to her professional life. In the public world she is a singer. In her private life, through being so public, she has to guard her privacy more than we, in case someone decides to make an issue of it.

Hayley is someone who is either genuinely apolitical, or who chooses to keep her philosophy on life separate from her professional life.

Let's also consider these questions, 'How many young people have a clear idea of what their informed views are when abruptly challenged on any particular subject?' 'How many of us, never mind just young people, actually address these questions in formal ways and conclude with a fixed opinion to be trotted out upon demand?'

Forty years older than Hayley, I continually sort wheat from chaff in the sense, 'What are my views specifically as opposed to the views I have absorbed, without thought, from prejudices inherited from family, then the circle of friends and business acquaintances , which unconsciously mould my attitudes.

In the mix of upbringing; a natural presumption of compassionate love and human understanding; the contradiction of preconceived orthodoxy with the freedom of individuality, so beautifully expressed by Voltaire: 'I disagree with almost everything you have said, sir, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it!', can there be anything more sensible than accepting the fluidity that is the life-force itself throughout the aeon of civilised history?

I think that Hayley does not like compartmentalism. She likes to see things in context but there are certain things that to her are her absolutes but what they are I think to probe further marks the difference between intuition and reasonable enquiry from those who admire and respect her and intrusion, which is beyond the pale of decent conduct. In short, the difference between the fan, invited to have a photograph with her and privileged to place an arm around her and the intruder who invades her privacy simply trying to grab at her.

I think we need to be aware of that area of merge, between natural enquiry and unacceptable intrusion.

Over ponderous a reply? Sorry, if thought so. I'm trying to expand a serious point that I think is of interest to many.

Peter

[fusilier23]

You may well be right, Peter, in suggesting that Hayley might be apolitical, she doesn't court controversy and has kept her views out of the limelight, which is wise, she's young and no one elected her to Parliament. Not that that means she isn't entitled to an opinion on this or that, but if she did express one that was controversial she'd be vulnerable to statements that she was too young, didn't know what she was talking about, etc. She also appeals to a very broad audience base at the moment, but I think a decidedly more conservative than liberal one, so she's got to be careful not to alienate that base.

Portia, I agree, the comparisons long ago became annoying, but they are always going to be there until one of these singers drops permanently out of the limelight. I will say this, though, I do believe that Hayley wound up in this publication simply by virtue of her music and consequent fame, whereas that other singer actively tried to get identified with the gay community in order to drive away conservatives, one of the few times I've seen a singer TRY to alienate fans.

[postscript]

That's a very interesting point, Fusilier that 'the other singer went out of her way to alienate a conservative base'. Maybe, but how contradictory and perverse, which perhaps defines the motive?! If you want to make a change of direction, surely, on pure commercial grounds, you simply make it and if in the process you lose your old base, well, okay. But if it were to hang around, well, its extra sales. Doesn't add up to me, unless its the fact she is young, going through emotional teenage angst and just wanted to be 'b* minded' and self-destructive.
Peter

[portia]

fusilier23 said:

Portia, I agree, the comparisons long ago became annoying, but they are always going to be there until one of these singers drops permanently out of the limelight. I will say this, though, I do believe that Hayley wound up in this publication simply by virtue of her music and consequent fame, whereas that other singer actively tried to get identified with the gay community in order to drive away conservatives, one of the few times I've seen a singer TRY to alienate fans.

It won't help when people like you overanalyze Charlotte to death. We honestly don't know how Charlotte got booked to do the gay gigs, and I think it's quite presumptuous for you to assume that she was trying to alienate fans.

[Richard]

Hello everybody.

This thread seems to be heading into 'delicate' areas, so it is now locked.

Richard