Hayley takes her success in
her stride
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Christchurch
Star - Wednesday December 17 2003
Even
teen singing sensations need their mum.
Speaking
to the Christchurch Star from London, Hayley Westenra
said the support of her mother, Jill, had been
crucial in the past few months as the young star
negotiated an exhausting round of interviews,
performances and media appearances.
Mum
still tells me when to hang out the washing and
tidy my room. She still gives me a hard time.
Crammed
into a schedule designed to promote the young star's
new album, Pure has been a performance for George
Bush on his state visit, in front of the Queen at
the Royal Variety Show, and a billing alongside
tenor Jose Carreras at the Royal Albert Hall. Westenra's
schedule was so busy, the Star was given strict
instructions to stick to a 10 minute time limit
by her New Zealand publicists. The 16 year old was
more than happy to talk past her allotted time,
however, even though it was past 10pm in London.
She
said dealing with the pressures of the record company
Decca's expectations was simply part of the life
of a professional singer.
"I
guess I'd be annoyed if was just sitting around
and no-one wanted to call and talk to me about the
album and everything, so I can't really complain.
Between
promo stuff, radio interviews, concerts, TV and
magazines it can be pretty busy,"
Westenra's
album made history after its release in July when
it achieved higher sales in its first week of release
than any other classical album. The album went straight
to the top of the classical charts and has sold
more than 500.000 copies in the UK.
It has sold 100,000 copies in New Zealand, and stayed
at the top of the New Zealand album charts for more
than three months.
Westenra's
public profile has been growing in Britain, although
she was barely known there when her album made its
first appearance in July.
She
said she enjoyed meeting the English, who seemed
intrigued by the fact she was a New Zealander, and
always wanted to hear renditions of the Maori
classic Pokarekare Ana.
"They
really appreciate that song. They seem to find it
quite mystical," she said.
Westenra said she was looking forward to seeing
family, especially her brother ,Isaac and sister,
Sophie and friends in New Zealand for Christmas,
which she would spend in Timaru.
The
Christmas break will be a brief respite for Westenra,
who starts an international tour in January that
includes performances in New Zealand in February.
Thanks
to Belinda H for this item.
