Post by Stephany on Mar 19, 2007 7:03:47 GMT
New article from The Sunday Independent (Ireland).
She says she hopes to take a few months off in a few years to 'chill out'. Hopefully for her, she will have the time to do so. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif
She says she hopes to take a few months off in a few years to 'chill out'. Hopefully for her, she will have the time to do so. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif
Taking the classical world by storm
Emma Nolan
18 March 2007
The Sunday Independent (Ireland)
(c) 2007 Independent Newspapers Ireland Ltd
'When I recorded my first two albums, I was quite young; I just chose songs I liked. Whereas this is my third album, so I'm kind of at the stage where I want it to be a really personal album."
It's hard to believe these are the words of a 19-year-old. Hayley Westenra was an early bloomer, with a record deal at 13 and her first album going triple platinum in her native New Zealand.
Hayley is hard at work taking the classical world by storm. She was born in Christchurch, and brought up in a musical environment, with her grandmother a semi-professional singer and her grandfather a pianist and accordion player. Oblivious to her talents, Hayley's parents only discovered her gift for singing when at age six she was chosen to sing the lead in the school Christmas play.
"My teacher approached my parents and said, 'Look, she has a talent, she should start learning instruments so she can explore the musical world.' And so I started learning the violin and the piano. Then I started doing musicals like The Sound of Music and The King and I and just loved the whole experience, right from the rehearsals to being up on the stage under the lights and the adrenalin rush of waiting for your cue!" she says enthusiastically.
Her big break came a few years later. While on lunch break from a performance, young Hayley and her pals, with no money for food, decided they'd put their talents to good use.
"We kind of thought, hey, why don't we try a bit of busking, and we did really well. And that kind of inspired me to go out on my own. It made a lot of sense because then you don't have to divide up the money," she laughs. "I loved the challenge of trying to build a crowd and stop people in their tracks, and the money I made I put towards making my CD."
The CD, a mix of classical, folk and traditional Maori songs, eventually got sent to Universal Music, which snapped her up, much to her astonishment.
"Looking back, I'm shocked that they would take any notice of a 13-year-old's demo CD, but they did," she says. The CD became her first album and made her New Zealand's fastest-selling artist.
At 15, she recorded herfirst international album, Pure, which sold fasterthan any other classical debut in the history of the UK. It went platinum 12 times in New Zealand, becoming the country's biggest-selling record of all time and spending 18 weeks at number one in the pop charts. It also became the best-selling classical album in Japan and went triple platinum in Australia.
Her global success meant she reluctantly had to leave her family and friends behind and relocate to London.
"I had to get a tutor, because initially I was trying to juggle the two, take away school work with me on the road and then go back to school and try and catch up, but it was just too hard.
"I'm so lucky that my really close friends are friends I have known for years, and every time I go back to New Zealand they're there for me, they're like, 'Great, let's take you out on the town.' They are just a really solid group of friends, I'm very lucky."
Her younger brother, Isaac, 13, and sister Sophie, 16, miss her, but Hayley thinks it's probably better that she isn't living with them anymore.
"When I'm there, they are Hayley's brother and Hayley's sister. But now they are getting to shine in their own right," she says.
Following in their bigsister's footsteps, they both aspire to work in themusic industry, with Sophie a singer and Isaac an avid guitar player.
Now one of the world's biggest-selling classical artists, she has come a long way in a short time, having duetted with Andrea Bocelli, Russell Watson, Bryn Terfel and Jose Carreras, and had equally famous audiences members including Queen Elizabeth, President Bush, Tony Blair, Andrew Lloyd Webber and her beloved All-Blacks.
But no matter how big she gets she'll never forget her roots, and has only recently begun to research them.
"My great-grandmother was Irish. I've always loved Irish music, it's a very musical country. When my nana used to sing I didn't realise that the songs were Irish, they were just my nana's songs.
"Once you start exploring your Irish heritage, it'squite exciting," she continues, "and so that's why I've included a few Irish songs on the album, and plus they're just beautiful songs."
She's even learned some of her songs as Gaeilge, and to prove it she bursts into Dulaman. Hayley is heavily involved in charity work; she is one of Unicef's youngest ambassadors and has set up 'Hayley's Bikes for Ghana', a project that helps provide bikes for children so they can attend school. She is also involved in the Women's Environmental Network. She hopes to take a few months off in a few years to 'chill out'.
Having just released her third album, Treasure, which has gone in at number one in the UK classical album charts, and joining the Celtic Women on their tour of the United States, that chill-out time might not be for quite a while.
The new CD 'Celtic Woman: A New Journey' and DVD 'Celtic Woman: A New Journey, Live at Slane Castle' feature Hayley and is now available in Ireland
'Celtic Woman: A New Journey: Live at Slane Castle', is on TV3 tonight at 6pm
Emma Nolan
18 March 2007
The Sunday Independent (Ireland)
(c) 2007 Independent Newspapers Ireland Ltd
'When I recorded my first two albums, I was quite young; I just chose songs I liked. Whereas this is my third album, so I'm kind of at the stage where I want it to be a really personal album."
It's hard to believe these are the words of a 19-year-old. Hayley Westenra was an early bloomer, with a record deal at 13 and her first album going triple platinum in her native New Zealand.
Hayley is hard at work taking the classical world by storm. She was born in Christchurch, and brought up in a musical environment, with her grandmother a semi-professional singer and her grandfather a pianist and accordion player. Oblivious to her talents, Hayley's parents only discovered her gift for singing when at age six she was chosen to sing the lead in the school Christmas play.
"My teacher approached my parents and said, 'Look, she has a talent, she should start learning instruments so she can explore the musical world.' And so I started learning the violin and the piano. Then I started doing musicals like The Sound of Music and The King and I and just loved the whole experience, right from the rehearsals to being up on the stage under the lights and the adrenalin rush of waiting for your cue!" she says enthusiastically.
Her big break came a few years later. While on lunch break from a performance, young Hayley and her pals, with no money for food, decided they'd put their talents to good use.
"We kind of thought, hey, why don't we try a bit of busking, and we did really well. And that kind of inspired me to go out on my own. It made a lot of sense because then you don't have to divide up the money," she laughs. "I loved the challenge of trying to build a crowd and stop people in their tracks, and the money I made I put towards making my CD."
The CD, a mix of classical, folk and traditional Maori songs, eventually got sent to Universal Music, which snapped her up, much to her astonishment.
"Looking back, I'm shocked that they would take any notice of a 13-year-old's demo CD, but they did," she says. The CD became her first album and made her New Zealand's fastest-selling artist.
At 15, she recorded herfirst international album, Pure, which sold fasterthan any other classical debut in the history of the UK. It went platinum 12 times in New Zealand, becoming the country's biggest-selling record of all time and spending 18 weeks at number one in the pop charts. It also became the best-selling classical album in Japan and went triple platinum in Australia.
Her global success meant she reluctantly had to leave her family and friends behind and relocate to London.
"I had to get a tutor, because initially I was trying to juggle the two, take away school work with me on the road and then go back to school and try and catch up, but it was just too hard.
"I'm so lucky that my really close friends are friends I have known for years, and every time I go back to New Zealand they're there for me, they're like, 'Great, let's take you out on the town.' They are just a really solid group of friends, I'm very lucky."
Her younger brother, Isaac, 13, and sister Sophie, 16, miss her, but Hayley thinks it's probably better that she isn't living with them anymore.
"When I'm there, they are Hayley's brother and Hayley's sister. But now they are getting to shine in their own right," she says.
Following in their bigsister's footsteps, they both aspire to work in themusic industry, with Sophie a singer and Isaac an avid guitar player.
Now one of the world's biggest-selling classical artists, she has come a long way in a short time, having duetted with Andrea Bocelli, Russell Watson, Bryn Terfel and Jose Carreras, and had equally famous audiences members including Queen Elizabeth, President Bush, Tony Blair, Andrew Lloyd Webber and her beloved All-Blacks.
But no matter how big she gets she'll never forget her roots, and has only recently begun to research them.
"My great-grandmother was Irish. I've always loved Irish music, it's a very musical country. When my nana used to sing I didn't realise that the songs were Irish, they were just my nana's songs.
"Once you start exploring your Irish heritage, it'squite exciting," she continues, "and so that's why I've included a few Irish songs on the album, and plus they're just beautiful songs."
She's even learned some of her songs as Gaeilge, and to prove it she bursts into Dulaman. Hayley is heavily involved in charity work; she is one of Unicef's youngest ambassadors and has set up 'Hayley's Bikes for Ghana', a project that helps provide bikes for children so they can attend school. She is also involved in the Women's Environmental Network. She hopes to take a few months off in a few years to 'chill out'.
Having just released her third album, Treasure, which has gone in at number one in the UK classical album charts, and joining the Celtic Women on their tour of the United States, that chill-out time might not be for quite a while.
The new CD 'Celtic Woman: A New Journey' and DVD 'Celtic Woman: A New Journey, Live at Slane Castle' feature Hayley and is now available in Ireland
'Celtic Woman: A New Journey: Live at Slane Castle', is on TV3 tonight at 6pm
