17-year-old
Hayley Westenra Charms Canadian Audience
By
Julia Suppa
TORONTO,
Digital Journal — The past decade has seen its
fair share of wonderful singers and musicians: Luciano
Pavarotti, Charlotte Church, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah
Brightman, Celine Dion and Josh Groban. Finally, there
is a new addition to this list: popular vocalist Hayley
Westenra from New Zealand.
The
17-year-old singer recently visited Toronto to introduce
her first album, Pure, to a very much attentive and
excited audience. The event marked the soprano’s Canadian
debut, and to say the least, she was surely welcomed.
When
you listen to Westenra, her voice magically lifts
your spirit and frees your mind from all the worries
in the world. She remains calm and focused; her voice
is perfectly pitched and well controlled, yet her
movements are youthful and fun. She pairs her lyrics
with her expressive, deep eyes to create a mood that
captivates an audience. She has a reassuring and unpretentious
attitude, a far cry from many pop singers her age
today. Combining her vitality and energy with a classical
and operatic sound, Westenra rejuvenates an audience.
Hayley Westenra's album Pure has already gone double
platinum in the U.K. and 10-times platinum in New
Zealand. — Photo by djc Features
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Hayley
Westenra's album Pure has already gone double
platinum in the U.K. and 10-times platinum in
New Zealand. — Photo by djc Features
|
She’s
a young lady who, even in her jeans and satin tank
top, looks ravishing. While most girls her age are
still obsessing about their makeup, boys, and what
to wear to the prom, Westenra is touring the world,
singing about Heathcliffe in “Wuthering Heights” —
one of her noted favourites.
It’s
quite the sacrifice, leaving your friends and families
behind, but Westenra is incredibly mature. “I’ve been
spending a lot of time away from home... I guess I’ve
missed out on kind of having more of a social life,
but I’m not going to complain because I’m so lucky
to have this opportunity,” she says. “I’m kind of
living my dream.”
And
what a dream it is. Her angelic and mystifying quality
is best heard at a live performance, as it quickly
takes you to another world. Her soft voice sends shivers
down your spine.
While
her vocal talent easily puts her in a class above
many others, what I loved most about Westenra was
the fact that she was not afraid to be herself. Her
modesty is honourable, even after everything she has
achieved. She defines herself and her music, and is
not held back by trying to create an image that is
false or copied.
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Digital
Journal Lifestyle Columnist, Julia Suppa (left),
stands with Hayley Westenra after a show in
Toronto. — Photo by djc Features
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Her
album Pure has already catapulted through the Top
10 charts in the U.K where she has gone double platinum;
she has gone 10-times platinum in New Zealand; she
has performed at a private party for Her Majesty the
Queen, Tony Blair, and George W. Bush; and has sang
alongside legendary tenor Pavarotti in Edinburgh,
Scotland. She will also be performing "Across
the Universe of Time" from her debut album Pure
on CTV's Canada-AM today.
Westenra
is clearly in a league of her own, and I really do
find it easy to imagine her as the next Sarah Brightman,
or better. She is often introduced as the young woman
with a near-flawless voice, and after seeing her,
I can say that this, in no way, is an overstatement.
www.hayleywestenra.com
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/?articleID=4098
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Wednesday,
July 28th 2004_
