Young Hayley's already become an old hand

From: The Daily Mail (London, England) Date: June 8, 2007

The speed of Hayley Westenra's rise has been remarkable. The singer from Christchurch, New Zealand, signed her first major record deal at the age of just 15 and became an overnight sensation, releasing an album that sold 900,000 copies in Britain alone. 'I remember driving past the Albert Hall when I first came to London and thinking, Wow, it'd be amazing to perform there,' says Hayley, speaking on the phone from London, which is her primary base nowadays. 'And I think that, within a couple of weeks, I actually was performing there. It's stunning.'

Now just turned 20, Hayley is still topping pop and classical charts around the world and has sold more than three million albums. She sings anything from classical to popular to folk and her arrestingly pure, effortless vocals have won her a legion of fans.

Her schedule is particularly crammed at the moment. She recently released a new album, Treasure, and is touring to promote it (she plays the National Concert Hall in Dublin with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra next week). But on top of this, she has been touring America as a guest artist with the group Celtic Woman. That tour included a St Patrick's Day performance in front of George Bush at the White House. 'It was a huge honour,' she says.

'It was the second time I'd performed for President so I'd already been through that surreal feeling - it's very bizarre when you meet someone who you've seen so much of on the TV and in the papers. Unfortunately, he was rushed off afterwards - due to a terrorist threat - we found out later – because I was really hoping to have a word with him about global warming. But you know, next time...'

Entertaining world leaders has become almost routine for Hayley, who performed for Tony Blair at a ceremony in London last year. 'Afterwards, Tony Blair shouted out to me, Well sung! as he was walking by. Oh, little things like that give me such a thrill!'

The new album features an impressive range of music, from Puccini, Holst and Dowland to Shenandoah and the hymn Abide With Me, as well as the breezy folk of Summer Fly and a couple of Westenra originals. Also on the album is Danny Boy, a childhood favourite of Hayley's. She did some research when making album and was surprised by the song's origins: 'It first appeared in an Irish music book, people obviously assumed it was an Irish song. But I think it’s actually an American-English creation. The lyric was written by an English lawyer, and his sister sent over this beautiful melody from America, which matched the lyrics perfectly.

'So it's probably not Irish at all? 'It's true. I don't want to burst the bubble, but…’ she laughs. Although there’s nothing specifically Irish on the album, there is a strong Irish folk feel on many of the songs. Indeed, much of it was recorded in Dublin. And Hayley has Irish roots, which she has recently begun to explore. Her great grandmother was Irish, but her mother discovered this only about 10 years ago. It was a revelation Mrs Westenra took very seriously. 'Within a couple of years, my mum was looking at moving the whole family to Ireland. She fell in love with the country. But it didn't happen – - it was going to be very expensive to move, because the New Zealand dollar is not very strong.'

Hayley does not come from a musical family so her choice of career was unexpected. The breakthrough came at the age of six: 'It was a teacher who picked up that I could sing and she gave me a solo in the Christmas school play and encouraged me to take up the violin.' Her new interest was encouraged by her parents and, within a few years, she had the confidence to go out busking. 'I used to go out on the streets on the weekends and I relished the opportunity to perform in front of a new audience each time. I liked the challenge of trying to stop people in their tracks with my singing and building up a big crowd. It was a lot of fun.' She used the money she made to make a recording and this led to her first record contract , at the age of just 11.

The breakthrough came four years later. 'I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity at that age, because otherwise I would have been stuck in school doing my maths and my sciences.' But there were downsides to finding stardom so young. 'When I was younger, there were times when I'd be missing out on parties and school dances. Sometimes I'd find it tough. But, looking at the big picture, gosh, most of the time I was very, very happy.

It's a busy life but I enjoy working hard. Sometimes I'll go back to New Zealand and have a couple of weeks off. It rarely happens but even then, I'm getting itchy feet. I long to get back on stage - I really thrive on that adrenaline rush performing gives you.' Perhaps part of the problem with going back to New Zealand is that she’s too famous there too relax: 'When I'm at home, I feel like I'm living in a fishbowl, because I've been around since I was 14 and I've just released my fifth album there. People are probably sick of me!' Life is far easier in London, she says: 'I feel pretty anonymous. I'm not Britney Spears.'

The NCH concert next Wednesday will be Hayley's first headline performance in Ireland (she played support for Il Divo at the Point). One of the attractions of coming here is the smoking ban, because anything that could damage her voice is a worry so smoky bars are bad news. She's longing for the ban to be imposed in Britain. 'I can't wait. I went out in London last night and we were having coffee in a smoky bar and I couldn't really relax. A ban will help my social life a lot!'.

Hayley Westenra plays the National Concert Hall in Dublin next week.

SHENANDOAH: Probably the strongest performance on the album. A hauntingly sparse arrangement is the perfect backdrop for Hayley's pure, subtle vocals and unaffected phrasing. She lets the very familiar melody speak for itself. 9/10

ABIDE WITH ME: It takes courage to tackle such a familiar, powerful melody. Hayley opens with no accompaniment and slowly swells with a rich accompaniment. A perfect ending that will send a shiver up your spine. 9/10

Treasure, is out now. For more information, log on to http://www.hayleywestenra.com/