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It's easy
to forget New Zealand soprano and international
superstar Hayley Westenra is still a teen.
The photos that adorn her new disc, "Odyssey,"
clearly shed the novelty of a fresh-faced 15-year-old
whose 2003 break-through classical-crossover CD "Pure" included "In
Trutina" from the opera "Carmina Burana." She's
18 now, and the new disc reflects a young woman
whose much-ballyhooed voice can embrace Joni Mitchell
just as easily as Franz Schubert.
This is a singer who has performed for Queen Elizabeth
II, President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony
Blair. In her native New Zealand, "Pure" is
the biggest-selling album of all time. It has sold
about 2 million copies on both sides of the pond.
Westenra - pronounced West-IN-ra - is fresh off
a tour with fellow crossover sensations IL DIVO
and is bound for the Phillips Center for the Performing
Arts Wednesday to caress Gainesville with a voice
The New York Times has likened to that of an angel.
She is glamorous. Critically adored. Not to mention
a UNICEF ambassador.
But, when the hype subsides and the royals have
left the building, she's still a chatty 18-year-old
who craves hometown gossip, misses her family,
loves the American sitcom "Friends" and
adores her iPod.
"I'm very attached to it," she said of
her iPod last week. "I thought I had lost
it on the first day of my tour, and I was just
completely and utterly devastated."
So, what's on the iPod of a teen classical-crossover
star?
"There's some Jill Scott. I love a lot of
soul music. I listened to the whole Beatles collection
on the plane the other day. One minute, I'll feel
like something classical - a bit of Mozart or Stravinsky
- and the next minute I really feel like some Aretha
Franklin."
These days, plane rides are about the only chances
for quality iPod time. The three years between "Pure"
and Odyssey" have been "a blur," she
said from London, a bit tired and vowing to do
her best to talk "coherently" after days
light on sleeping.
"It's been tough because I've been away from
my family and friends quite a bit, you know? Last
year, I spent about a month total at home," she
said. "We have these two-week breaks where
I have the opportunity to go home, but then by
the time I get home and recover from the flight,
it's time to go again. And there's always things
that keep cropping up; one minute you have a space
and then the next minute it's been sold.
"But then again, I've really been enjoying
the ride, you know, despite the kind-of exhausting
periods. I still will enjoy going out on stage
and performing in front of a crowd and just making
music; I think it's the music that keeps me going."
The overwhelming success of "Pure" launched
a roller-coaster ride for the young woman from
Christchurch, New Zealand.
"At the moment, I do have to admit I feel
a little bit spaced out from all the traveling," she
said. "What I try to do is call my family
every couple of days. Making sure I'm in contact
with my family, that's what keeps me grounded and
keeps me sane.
"I'll have them fill me in on all the gossip,
fill me in on what's happening at home. It makes
me miss them more. I just talk to my brother about
what he's doing: 'Oh yeah, I'm making this computer
game.' You know, just being brought back into that
world again. They'd be like, 'Oh yes, we just went
out for fish and chips with the family.' And I'll
want to be there.
"But, then again, it's so incredible to be
doing what I'm doing, and I just want to make the
most of it."
And that's where "Odyssey" comes in.
It is a more varied disc than "Pure." The
song selection was the result of a carefully calculated "mission" to
reflect a young woman eager to showcase professional
growth.
"For 'Odyssey,' I was looking for songs that
I really connected to, both melodically and also
lyrically," she said. "That became quite
important to me, actually, because - I don't know
- I was getting older, I was getting more experience
... I have more to say now."
One of the standout tracks on
"Odyssey" is Joni Mitchell's "Both
Sides Now." (also recorded by Judy Collins)
She first heard the song about three years ago
and has since amassed a full Mitchell collection: "I
was just blown away by the music and her voice."
"And 'Both Sides Now' really jumped out at
me," she said. "It's just a beautifully
written song. I'm just in awe of her lyrics. Very
deep. And I find that I can read into the lyrics
differently each time I perform the song."
Michael Blachly, director of University of Florida
Performing Arts, first heard Westenra on an NPR
program a few years back and has been trying to
book her into the Phillips Center ever since.
"Such an incredible voice, such a wonderful
range of material," Blachly said. "She's
the real deal."
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