Rugby World Cup 2011: Hayley is THE voice of ITV!

[grant]

Hello everyone

This has just been posted by Red Pages

Hayley Westenra announced as voice of Rugby World Cup for ITV
New Zealand songstress Hayley Westenra is lending her voice to this year's Rugby World Cup. She sings the anthem, World In Union, in both England and Maori, which accompanies the games broadcast by ITV in England. Hayley is also set to perform at games throughout the tournament. She has a history of performing at sporting events, having sung for the FA Cup Final, the MLB in the US and for New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team.

Published: 07/29/2011 10:42

Best wishes
Grant

[Simba]

wow, throughout the tournament! That's something! And single....this must be hayley's FIRST official single right? That's totally amazing...

[Dave]

Jul 29, 2011 10:57:30 GMT Ross said:

From the TV 3 video the song Reunion will be released as a single so it will be worth waiting for i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif.

Jul 29, 2011 12:32:50 GMT Simba said:

wow, throughout the tournament! That's something! And single....this must be hayley's FIRST official single right? That's totally amazing...

Hi Ross and Simba,

Well a single these days usually means a download track, and Hayley has had them before in the UK (they never charted though). But this one could get in the chart due to the ITV coverage, let's hope so as that would get some radio airplay and help album sales even more.

But we need to be careful about media claims as journalists often get things mixed up or slightly wrong. The only 'throughout the tournament" I've seen from a reliable source so far relates to the World In Union song for ITV's Rugby World Cup broadcasts in the UK.

Jul 29, 2011 11:20:33 GMT grant said:

Hello everyone

The following picture is in today's Daily Telegraph

The accompanying text appears contradictory

Hi Grant,

It's ambiguous but I think they just mean the tournament is in NZ, the song seems to be a 'special' for ITV in the UK.

I suppose someone else could adopt it too though, well let's hope so!

Great to see some UK press coverage too!

Cheers, Dave

[Richard]

Jul 29, 2011 11:20:33 GMT grant said:

The following picture is in today's Daily Telegraph

I've found a few amusing tweets that refer to that photograph:

djcox David Cox
@hayleywestenra and @quintinrfc in today's Telegraph. A marriage made in heaven!

djcox David Cox
@stucooney and @ciaranmitchell making @hayleywestenra even prettier in today's Daily Telegraph (page 16)

ciaranmitchell Ciaran Mitchell
@garethgetty excellent photos mate. They came out really well. Think all our ugly faces made @hayleywestenra look even prettier!!

So now we know Hayley was photographed with members of Quintin RFC: clubquintinrfc.co.uk/default.aspx

Richard

[Elliot Kane]

This should help Hayley reach out to a much wider audience, so it's a great thing. Rugby is, what, the third most popular sport in the world after football and cricket? Has to be something like that! An awful lot of people who have never heard her before will hear her now.

Good for her!

[tireman]

Jul 29, 2011 20:15:38 GMT Elliot Kane said:

This should help Hayley reach out to a much wider audience, so it's a great thing. Rugby is, what, the third most popular sport in the world after football and cricket? Has to be something like that! An awful lot of people who have never heard her before will hear her now.

Good for her!

Hi Elliot
I agree with you completely. Unfortunately the U S doesn't have a strong presence in the sport. I love it but we've got so many sports that rugby doesn't get any press at all here. We lose again. Oh well I can still come to the U K to see Hayley till I run out of money.

Larry

[Elliot Kane]

Jul 29, 2011 20:29:48 GMT tireman said:

Jul 29, 2011 20:15:38 GMT Elliot Kane said:

This should help Hayley reach out to a much wider audience, so it's a great thing. Rugby is, what, the third most popular sport in the world after football and cricket? Has to be something like that! An awful lot of people who have never heard her before will hear her now.

Good for her!

Hi Elliot
I agree with you completely. Unfortunately the U S doesn't have a strong presence in the sport. I love it but we've got so many sports that rugby doesn't get any press at all here. We lose again. Oh well I can still come to the U K to see Hayley till I run out of money.

Larry

I think the US has something of a catch-22 relationship with sport, Larry, honestly. Money follows success, but without success no-one wants to put the money in.

Bit of a shame, but on the other hand you do have a very vibrant sporting scene - it's just different sports to the mainstream of other nations

[Jillian]

Another NZ article from the Dominion Post:

Hayley seems on the wrong side
Kiwi 'voice of the tournament' sings for Britain

MICHELLE DUFF
Last updated 05:00 30/07/2011



Getty Images DRESSED TO KILL: Hayley's on top of things with these English players. But mum Jill says: 'I think it's just there's no All Blacks over there to stand on.'

She has cosied up to the English rugby team and will sing for a big British broadcaster, but Hayley Westenra isn't playing for the opposition quite yet.

Westenra has been announced as the "voice of the tournament" for British broadcaster ITV, and will sing the official Rugby World Cup song World in Union to accompany the station's coverage between September 9 and October 23.

A promotional photo shoot shows Westenra, 24, perched atop a scrum of English players, and acting as their halfback while clad in a dress and high heels.

But from Christchurch yesterday, her mother, Jill Westenra, quashed any speculation that her daughter might be backing the English side. "Oh no, she's totally an All Black fan. I think it's just there's no All Blacks over there to stand on," she said.

"It could potentially send the wrong message but it's not like that at all, certainly not. She's totally and utterly an All Blacks supporter. She really knows where she's come from – she knows she's a Kiwi girl and she's proud of it."

She said her daughter was thrilled to land the role with ITV, which would raise her profile in Britain, where she is now based.

"She works really hard, so she deserves all the accolades and opportunities that come her way," Mrs Westenra said. She thought the photo shoot looked gorgeous and like "a lot of fun", though she had to look twice and make sure Hayley wasn't wearing her high heels as she clambered on to the hulking players.

"Every girl would have loved that."

Westenra was interested in singing at the World Cup final at Eden Park, her mother said.

She has sung New Zealand anthems at test matches in the past, and has sold more albums than any other soprano in the past 10 years.

On Twitter yesterday, BBC Music Magazine tweeted to Westenra: "Splendid! A New Zealander singing England to victory! " She answered with a coy: "ha ha! we shall see about that!!!"

www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5363077/Hayley-seems-on-the-wrong-side

Personally, I think it was a little bit of an error to have Hayley pose with rugby players of a defined English team. Perhaps it would have been better to have them in just a fake non-descript uniform of black shirts and shorts.

The reaction of the NZ press in my view was completely foreseeable -- the Australian press would have acted exactly the same. This slight fuss has taken the gloss off this announcement a little bit.

At least Hayley's parents are doing a great job and putting everyone right.

Cheers,
Jillian

[Libby]

Jul 29, 2011 20:29:48 GMT tireman said:

Hi Elliot
I agree with you completely. Unfortunately the U S doesn't have a strong presence in the sport. I love it but we've got so many sports that rugby doesn't get any press at all here. We lose again. Oh well I can still come to the U K to see Hayley till I run out of money.

Larry

Seeee.... what did I say? No research needed for me.

But Larry, at least it will be possible for sports fans in the US to see it. But they'll either have to be rugby fans, or stumble upon it accidentally. The news casts will probably show stuff from the Cup during sports segments, but not the singing, of course.

[postscript]

On the other hand a little bit of 'decent' furore is not a bad thing for an otherwise non controversial nice girl next-door!

Peter S.!

[Jillian]

Jul 30, 2011 10:19:38 GMT postscript said:

On the other hand a little bit of 'decent' furore is not a bad thing for an otherwise non controversial nice girl next-door!

Peter S.!

Hi Peter S!

I guess you're right! Creating a bit of controversial fuss may just be the ticket! At least it has everyone talking! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

I really love the photo shoot! It's very different and a lot of fun! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Cheers,
Jillian

[Dave]

Of course a furore in NZ won't affect the situation in the UK at all, which is where the ITV deal is aimed at.

And in NZ, Hayley will now get several opportunities to "explain herself" I suspect... so it's all good! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Cheers, Dave

[Richard]

Hello folks!

The key issue here is that this year's Rugby World Cup is being held in New Zealand, so it makes sense to give a major role to a prominent Kiwi who is a good ambassador for the country. To me there's only one obvious choice.

Richard

[pjrcorreia]

Hi everyone,

Hayley was on the front page of yesterday METRO's edition, a free newspaper here in Portugal (this is a scan from a copy a workmate gave me to my collection).



The translation:

Rugby. Music to unite the world

Hayley Westenra reached the top of the charts in 2003 with the album "Pure"

Voice of an angel among tough guys

The best-selling soprano Hayley Westenra was yesterday announced as the "voice" of the coverage of the Rugby World Cup 2011 on English channel ITV, with her version of "World in Union". The New Zealander artist will be well connected to one of the biggest sporting events of the year, taking place in her homeland.

Here is the full page:
s304.photobucket.com/albums/nn171/PJRCorreia/?action=view¤t=2309_metrolisboa_4096bo.png

Best wishes,
Paulo Correia

[Simba]

wow even in Portugal? this is awesome!