TeenMusic: Did you actually sing on the streets at home for tips? Hayley: Yeah. I was involved in this group that was called the Canterbury Opera Youth, which was like a children’s opera chorus. So there was a group of us kids putting on a show. I think it came to lunchtime and some of us didn’t have any money to buy our lunch. Then we were like, ‘hang on a minute’, we saw all these other buskers down the street. We were like, ‘why don’t we just sing and see if anyone gives us some money’. So a group of us just started singing and one of us put out a hat and we got this big crowd of people that were cheering us on and we were like ‘wow!’. My sister Sophie came and sang some songs. And she joined in and it was great. I guess the bonus was we got a bit of pocket money while we are at it.

TeenMusic: Were you surprised when your first album of show tunes and Classical songs went to the top of the pop charts in New Zealand? What was on it?

Hayley: Oh yes. It was “Memory” from “Cats”, “Wishing You Were Somehow Here” from the “Phantom of the Opera” and “All I Ask of You”. At the start it was like, ‘hang on this is just little old me. Why are people so interested in it’. It is really strange because I listened to it back home and it is not all that special. But, I did a New Zealand tour and I had my own show.

TeenMusic: What would your favourite subject in school be? What do you enjoy the most?

Hayley: I love languages. Italian, French and German. When I was learning them, I was like, ‘this is going to be useful for travelling and singing as well’. A lot of Operas are in Italian and other foreign languages. It is kind of exciting really.

TeenMusic: Do you know them well enough to converse or just well enough to know song lyrics?

Hayley: Well, to be honest I need to keep up with it more. We were in France and I had basically done like a year of French. It was quite funny because the lamp in the room wasn’t working so I rang up and I was thinking this is my chance to practice my French. So I said ‘the lamp is broken’ and what I didn’t realize is that I actually said ‘the lamp is shattered’. So they sent a lady with a vacuum cleaner to clean up the mess! So I got such a hard time from my family when everyone heard the story.

TeenMusic: Do you have a favorite song on “Pure”?

Hayley:

“Wuthering Heights”, I love that one. It’s challenging. At the same time I just love it because it is a unique song. There is nothing like it. I guess also because I am studying the book “Wuthering Heights” for my exam, so I know everything behind the song and the whole story. That helps when you are singing it because you can really get into it.

TeenMusic: What is the most touching or weirdest fan encounter you have had so far?