Musical Monday Highlight: Hayley Westenra
by that damn redhead on June 29, 2009
in Music
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One of the many reasons I love Twitter is that I discover some pretty awesome things because they discover me first. Heck, it’s because of Twitter that I discovered WildEarth.tv and was able to share it with you. I always take a look at each new follower when I get a notification because I never know when I’m going to find somebody or something truly remarkable.
One such instance was last week, when I was followed by @HayleyWestenra, whose bio says:
Purpose is to further the distribution of information about singer Hayley Westenra, her upcoming events and albums, and her family.
I have very diverse (if not obscure) musical tastes, and until then, had never heard of her. Intrigued, I followed the link to Hayley Westenra’s official site and was floored by such an amazing voice that loaded on the site’s auto-loading audio player. If you’re a fan of Sarah Brightman, Lorena McKennitt, or other “pretty music” of that vein, you’ll totally dig her.
My first thought was, “HOW is it possible that I haven’t heard of her before?” then upon reading that this 21 year-old soprano New Zealander already has a “Best Of” album, I realized that she’s pretty big all over the world, yet has yet to catch on here in the States.
Here are a few snippets from her official bio:
Hayley Westenra began performing when she was just 6 years old and made her first recording in a professional studio at 12. She was still only 16 when she released her debut international CD, Pure. It rapidly became the fastest-selling debut album from a classical artist, and reached the Top 10 of the pop charts in 11 countries. Her albums have sold more than four million copies worldwide to date. “Pure” was certified by the official UK chart compilers as the best selling classical album of the 21st Century. . .
Hayley has performed for Her Majesty the Queen on a number occasions, President Bush and Tony Blair, Prince Charles, Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and in July 2007 Hayley was asked to perform for the Dalai Lama. . .
[She] has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Wembley Arena, Royal Albert Hall, The White House and Kensington Palace. Hayley sang at Capitol Hill, Washington as part of 2008 official Fourth of July celebrations.
Hayley has duetted with Andrea Bocelli, José Carreras and Bryn Terfel. She has also appeared as a special guest with the World’s leading orchestra’s including the Moscow Philharmonic, The Boston Pops and the RPO.
Not bad for 21, eh?
I promoted Hayley in my Facebook stream because I knew a few people in my friends would like her, and commented that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of her until now. To my surprise, neither had my “vagabond actress friend” Phyllis, and she’s the person I usually rely on to introduce me to stuff like this. Good to know I wasn’t the only one living under a rock. If you haven’t heard of Hayley Westenra until now, take a listen to the widget I’ve embedded and welcome to your newest musical obsession. If you’re moved enough to purchase a piece of her music, here’s an affiliate link to her “Best Of” album at Amazon.
I discovered Haley via the Nintendo Wii game “Endless Ocean”, where her song “Prayer” was featured in the official soundtrack and also on the E3 2007 trailer for the game. I not only bought the game, but I ended up buying a few of her songs on iTunes.
Wow thanks for sharing that, Brian! I needed that moment of underwater zen. I wanna play that game now!
You might want to check out youtube for Hayley’s performance at the 2009 World Games last weekend. I wish there was a way to increase awareness of this incredible talent (and incredible person) here in the US.
I’ll definitely do that when I take a break next. Thanks for letting me know about it.
There IS a way to increase awareness of her on this side of the pond. Have her people contact me.
I discovered Hayley some 6 years ago when her first international album was advertised on UK TV. Just over 2 years ago I found the fan run website http://www.hayley-westenra-internation.com . On this website you will find a wealth of information and the friendliest bunch of people you could wish to meet from all around the world. Give it a try. It is the place to find out every thig you could wish to know.
Jim
Thanks for letting me know about this. Having a strong online community is a huge asset for anybody, whether a company, an artist, author, whatever. She’s already got that behind her then that’s half the battle. I don’t know if I have much time these days to get too involved in another online community, but I’ll check it out — I’m a member of a completely different community that may be interested in her music and I’d love to introduce the two. It may be a great combination, as they’re all over the world, too.
Hi, redhead, I’m glad you discovered Hayley on Twitter! If you haven’t seen it yet, she’s currently in 4th place on the Tweeter Wall poll for best female solo artist! She’s beaten Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, Britney Spears, and even Celine Dion! That’s because she has devoted fans all over the world voting for her!
Jim, the site is actually http://www.hayley-westenra-international.com, and I’m sure that’s what you meant to write.
Also be sure to check out Hayley’s official forum: http://hayleywestenra.forums.umusic.co.uk/
AS SHE SHOULD BE!! Not to say that the other ladies aren’t talented, but they’re much more “manufactured” talents — Hayley’s talent is pure and unfabricated, which makes it soooooo much better. Definitely top shelf stuff.
As I mentioned to Jim, I’m a member of an online community that has nothing to do with Hayley but I have a feeling they’ll totally dig her. I’ll be sure to send them over to her forum soon.
Thanks for stopping by!
The Tweeter wall competition is still going on, although it will probably be over at the end of the month. Here’s the link in case you would like to vote: http://tweeterwall.mallplace.com/tw/worldwide/best-female-solo-artist
At the moment, we’re trying to get her ahead of Pink! I think we can do it!
The tweeterwall competition is over, and Hayley finally got ahead of Pink during the night, in 3rd place! Unfortunately, the results aren’t showing up anywhere right now.