Hayley: There was this lady over in the U.K. and I just met her and all of a sudden she just started crying and I couldn’t get her off my shoulder. And in some ways it was a little weird at first but it was quite touching. Apparently she had been completely moved by my music.

TeenMusic: What is the best advice you have ever been given and who gave it to you?

Hayley: There is this lady Dame Malvina Major. She is this famous New Zealand Opera singer and she gave me this advice. She basically said, ‘take everyone’s advice but in the end you make the decision’. I guess in some ways it is common sense but it is kind of nice to be reminded of that. And I think that is the most important thing really in this business. There are so many people bombarding you with advice and it can be quite overwhelming sometimes. I think in the end you have got to just follow your heart and that is kind of what she was saying.

TeenMusic: What is in your CD player or your ipod right now?

Hayley: I’ve got this compilation right now, it is Alicia Keys, which is my favourite song “If I Ain’t Got You”. I love that one. Joni Mitchell with (sounds Like) “The Case of You”, I love that song. I’ve got i-tunes on my computer. I love Jeff Buckley with “Hallelujah” and then I’ve got Christina Aguilera with “Beautiful”. It is just a list of my favourite songs.

TeenMusic: Who are you dying to do a duet with that you haven’t gotten to yet?

Hayley: Andrea Bocelli. I would love to do a duet with him. I met him at the classical Brit awards last year. He was really sweet.

TeenMusic: Who is your favorite actor or actress?

Hayley: Orlando Bloom. (I tell Hayley that I’ve interviewed him and we gush and she says she’s jealous). I also like Brittany Murphy. I think she is funny and she is just so vivacious, so full of energy.

TeenMusic: When you get to eat junk food what would you like to eat?

Hayley:

I love chocolate. This sounds a bit weird, but because I try to avoid dairy products, which is chocolate. I have to go for dark chocolate, organic dark chocolate. I avoid dairy for my voice but there is this chocolate tofu dessert at this place called Real Food Daily here in L.A. It is the most delicious thing you will ever try. It is like a vegan restaurant.

TeenMusic: Besides singing what do you think you do pretty well and what do you think you do pretty badly?

Hayley: I can play the piano quite well and dance. Badly? The first thing that jumps to mind is the high jump. Like the scissors. Oh my gosh, I was traumatized. I have always been the shortest in my class. I just remember running up to it and going, ‘how on earth can I jump over that?’ Bu, I think I’m good at cross-country running. I have good stamina. Probably the lungs from singing.

TeenMusic: What would you like to say to young fans that have hardly listened to any classical music?

Hayley: I guess I would say you don’t have to give up on pop music. I think it is just nice to listen to it. You should at least try and listen to it because you may discover that you really like it. There are times when you don’t want to play loud blaring pop music, when you go to sleep it would be quite nice to have something to chill out. If you are studying for exams. I find it helps if you put on light classical music or even Celtic sounding music. Just have a listen to it and kind of be open minded about it.

TeenMusic: What would you like your fans or potential fans to know about you?

Hayley: I guess just the fact that I like all different types of music and I am not a classical snob or an elitist or anything. I am not a purest; I appreciate all different types of music. I am not only a classical singer or certainly not an opera singer, as a lot of people call me.

Check out Hayley's Website: http://www.hayleywestenra.com/

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.