Hayley visits OK! Magazine NYC

[Joe]

Shorefire.com's Suite 16 blog tells of Hayley visiting the offices of NYC's OK! Magazine earlier in the week.

Below is the article written today by OK! Magazine's Lauretta Charlton, followed by two photos.

The Gorgeous Hayley Westenra at OK! Mag

October 5, 2011 By Lauretta Charlton

It was a pleasure spending time with the enormously talented Hayley Westenra in New York this week. She collaborated with none other than Ennio Morricone on her most recent album ‘Paradiso.’ It’s a magnificent work. The first track “Whispers In A Dream” has been in my head all week. Hayley wrote the lyrics to the song, the music being from Morricone’s score from “Gabriel’s Oboe.” Though most 24-year-olds would be intimidated by working with an 82-year-old bona fide legend, Hayley is not. She’s wickedly brilliant, her voice is pitch-perfect and she’s such a pleasure to be around. Naturally, the maestro (most famous for his score for Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns including “The Good The Bad And The Ugly”) not only tapped Hayley for the collaboration, he encouraged her to write lyrics to some of his most cherished film compositions.


Hayley and Lauretta Charlton


Hayley with OK! Magazine's Laura Lane (left) and Stephanie (right, surname unknown)

Also view the article at ...
www.shorefire.com/blog/2011/10/the-gorgeous-hayley-westenra-at-ok-mag.html

[frenchie]

Thank you Joe for this really short interview!

However, did they ask Hayley any questions while she was in their office? I mean, all the info in this write-up can be found on the web. The pictures are nice though of Hayley.

It's nice that at least Hayley will be in a widely read magazine!
Alicia

[Libby]

Here are larger versions of the photos (you just have to click on them to enlarge them):



Notice what it says on Lauretta's shirt? Fitting!

[Martin]

Published by OK! Magazine today:

Soprano Hayley Westenra Recalls Meeting Prince William, Says He & Kate “Make the Sweetest Couple”
October 7th, 2011 9:30 am / Author: Vicki Salemi

New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra stopped by the OK! office yesterday to talk about her new album, Paradiso, and career highlights like singing for the Queen of England! The UNICEF ambassador has also sang for Prince William and Prince Harry and says that both princes are “really humble, down-to-earth men.” Although she hasn’t met Kate yet, she thinks she’ll be a really good mother. Find out more after the jump!

Considering Hayley has sang for former President George Bush, Tony Blair, The Queen of England, not to mention the princes, she says performing for Queen Elizabeth is “always an honor and always a bit surreal.”

Although she knows after performing the queen usually comes over to shake her hand, Hayley admits, “I’m always a bit of a mute when I these important people. I’m too scared to say anything because you have to wait for them to talk to you and you don’t want to make a joke that’s not going to be understood.”

It sounds like she feels a bit more relaxed around the princes. She adds, “I’m always very polite and on my best behavior. But then with the Princes, Prince Harry and Prince William they are very down to earth and I’ve been able to have a good chat with them when Prince William come out to New Zealand just recently well it was actually a couple of years ago when the prime minister held like a barbeque for him in his honor and so I went along with my sister and they had Prince William behind the barbeque like cooking everyone sausages.” Yes, sausages!

“Then he came around and he sort of came by me and my sister and we just talked about desserts and puddings and having to work off the pudding or something. I can’t remember quite what it was about but we just had a good laugh and the same goes for Prince Harry. They are both really humble, down to earth, young men.”

Although she hasn’t met Kate yet, she says, “I think they make the sweetest couple though. They seem really happy. I think she seems to be a very caring person and the two of them both seem to be very caring and gentle souls. So I think she’ll make a good mum. No pressure though (laughing). I know everyones waiting with (bated) breath.”

Reporting by Stephanie Buscema

Link is www.okmagazine.com/2011/10/soprano-hayley-westenra-recalls-meeting-prince-william-says-he-kate-make-the-sweetest-couple/

[Dave]

Hi Martin and everyone,

I think that's the official OK! report from NYC, the other thread was just an advance blog by one of their staff writers.

It's a nice write-up, assuming that it will be in the printed version, it probably makes the US trip worthwhile!

If we can agree that it's the NYC report (I'm not yet 100% certain), one of us can move this and any follow-ups to the other thread.

Cheers, Dave

[cloudbusting.heights]

Let us know if it is a US/NYC article please! If it is, I'll be out scoping the stores

[cloudbusting.heights]

I googled the author and from what I gather she's from NYC.

Cheers,
Paige

[stevemacdonald]

Sadly, this story has been picked up by others and treated with snark This from the Gather site:


Kate Middleton, Prince William 'Sweetest Couple' Says New Zealand Soprano

October 07, 2011 11:00 AM EDT

by Bryce Westervelt

New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra thinks that Kate Middleton and Prince William make the 'sweetest couple.' Ok, so Westenra hasn't exactly met Kate, that doesn't matter to her. The singer has her opinion and she's sticking to it.

To be fair, Hayley Westenra has sung for the Queen of England as well as both Prince Harry and Prince William. She thinks that both princes are 'down-to-earth men.' So, clearly, William would marry a down-to-earth woman like Kate Middleton, right?

So, the singer has definitely been sipping the royal Kool-Aid, hasn't she? Of course, watching a royal wedding from afar, everything looks like a fairy tale. Hayley had set up in her mind what she thinks of Kate, without even meeting her.

Yes, she thinks that Kate Middleton would make a wonderful mom. Plus she goes on to gush about the royal couple:

I think they make the sweetest couple though. They seem really happy. I think she seems to be a very caring person and the two of them both seem to be very caring and gentle souls. So I think she'll make a good mum. No pressure though.

No pressure? Ok, so Kate Middleton is going to feel the pressure to have kids because some New Zealand soprano kept harping on it. Probably not. There is probably more pressure to live up to the 'fairy tale' that people like Hayley Westenra have established in their minds. Hopefully Kate and William won't let them down.

[Libby]

Umm, that's a horrid article by Mr. Westervelt, but I have to admit, the OK article is a little pointless. Sure, it's a litte interesting to read about her meeting the princes, but who's going to care, if they don't know who she is? They should be asking all about her album, not what she thinks about royalty! It's not really worth putting in an article what someone thinks what a good parent somebody will be. It's not like anybody thinks Kate will be a terrible mother! So silly!

And the link to listen to Whispers does not even work! However, there is a video below of her singing Amazing Grace at the ChCh memorial.

They should have an article reminding everyone who Hayley is, about how successful her first album was, and then had it be all about Paradiso. And it should be in the actual, physical magazine, too, not just online. I'm not too confident it will be.

I have to say, this so-called "promotion" they had Hayley do is verging on pitiful. I am quite horrified at this point. Now, it probably won't be very successful, and they'll just give up again, but it'll be all their fault for not doing more for her! It is not America's fault they don't know her, if nobody [re]introduces her properly!

[Richard]

Hello folks!

I'm convinced the article Martin posted is from New York, so I've combined the two threads as Dave suggested.

Edit: For future reference, www.okmagazine.com is the US edition, while www.ok.co.uk is the international edition. There are some other local editions including Australia and Japan.

Richard

[Libby]

Did anybody ever find out if Hayley was in the actual magazine?