Hayley Westenra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hayley Westenra
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Westenra in 2006
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Hayley Dee Westenra
10 April 1987 Christchurch, New Zealand
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| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
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Hayley Dee Westenra was born on April 10, 1987. She is a talented singer from New Zealand. Hayley is known for her unique style, which mixes classical music with pop songs. This is called "classical crossover."
Her first album released around the world was called Pure. It came out in 2003 and quickly became number one on the classical music charts in the UK. This album sold over two million copies worldwide. It was one of the fastest-selling albums ever in New Zealand!
Hayley is also one of the youngest UNICEF Ambassadors. This means she helps children around the world. She has sung in many different languages, including English, Māori, Irish, Welsh, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese.
Contents
Hayley's Early Life and Talents
Hayley Westenra was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her parents are Gerald and Jill Westenra. She has a sister named Sophie, who teaches law at Oxford. Hayley's grandmother, Shirley Ireland, was also a singer. Her grandfather played the piano and piano accordion. Hayley has family roots from Ireland, the Netherlands, and England.
Hayley started performing when she was just six years old. Her first performance was in a Christmas play at her school, Fendalton Open Air School. After the show, a teacher noticed how perfectly she sang. The teacher encouraged Hayley to learn a musical instrument. Soon, Hayley learned to read music and play the violin, piano, guitar, and recorder.
She then started taking singing lessons. She discovered how much she loved musical theatre. By the time she was 11, Hayley had performed on stage more than 40 times! She often played male characters in her shows. Hayley went to Cobham Intermediate School in 1998 and 1999. Later, a building for performing arts at the school was named in her honor.
Hayley's Amazing Music Career
Starting Her Music Journey (2000–2002)
When Hayley was 12, she went into a professional recording studio. She made a demo album called Walking in the Air. This album was first made for her friends and family, with only 70 copies. But soon, they made 1000 more copies! A journalist from Canterbury Television heard about her and asked Hayley to appear on TV.
Gray Bartlett, who promotes concerts, saw her on the show. Soon after, Hayley was offered a recording deal with Universal Records New Zealand. While attending Burnside High School, Hayley released her first album with Universal. It was a collection of show tunes and classical songs. She also released My Gift to You, an album of Christmas music. Because her albums were so successful, she was able to take lessons from the famous singer Malvina Major.
Worldwide Success with Pure (2003–2004)
Hayley became famous around the world when she signed with Decca Records. She recorded the album Pure. This album included classical songs, light pop, and traditional Māori songs. Pure became the fastest-selling first album by an international artist on the UK classical chart. It sold over 19,000 copies in its first week! The album quickly reached number one in the UK and entered the top 10 on the main UK Album Chart.
Over two million copies of Pure have been sold so far. In New Zealand, Pure has been certified 12 times platinum. This means it's the best-selling album by any artist in the country's history! In 2004, Hayley sang the end-title song for the Disney movie Mulan II. She also joined the national Radio Disney music education tour for middle school students. Later that year, she sang "Bridal Ballad" for the movie The Merchant of Venice.
Hayley won two awards at the 2004 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards. She won "Highest Selling New Zealand Album" and "International Achievement Award." On February 20, 2004, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, honored Hayley. She was the first New Zealand artist to sell ten times platinum in New Zealand. Her album was number one for 18 weeks! Hayley also won two Japanese Grammies for her work. Her song "Amazing Grace" was named Song of the Year, and Pure was Album of the Year. Her version of "Amazing Grace" was used as the theme song for a popular Japanese TV show called Shiroi Kyotō.
In 2004, Hayley started her world tour. She performed in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the UK, and the US. In November, she sang for important leaders like Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Charles, Prince of Wales, and President George W. Bush. Hayley later said she was more nervous when she auditioned for Andrew Lloyd Webber. She had to read music he had written that no one had heard before.
After her world tour, Hayley recorded a live DVD called Hayley Westenra: Live from New Zealand. It featured her singing with other artists at the St. James Theatre. A TV producer named David Horn said, "Her singing is so gorgeous, it's like the beautiful sound of church choirs." Hayley also joined the Boston Pops Orchestra for their Christmas tour in late 2004.
New Albums and Tours (2005–2007)
On September 5, 2006, Hayley Westenra was named one of the ten outstanding young people in the world by the Junior Chamber International. She was the first New Zealander to receive this honor. On November 13, 2006, she sang "God Save the Queen" and "God Defend New Zealand" at the dedication of the New Zealand War Memorial in London. These are the national anthems of the UK and New Zealand. Hayley had three great-uncles who fought in World War II, and one of them died.
In August 2006, Hayley joined the group Celtic Woman. She is featured on their album Celtic Woman: A New Journey, which came out in January 2007. This album quickly reached number four on the Billboard music chart. She toured with Celtic Woman in the United States in 2007, performing in 88 places. Hayley said this was her toughest tour. She prefers to control her own schedule as a solo artist.
Hayley's third international album, Treasure, was released in the UK in February 2007. Hayley chose all the songs on this album herself. She said she didn't let her record company know what she was recording until the last minute! The album includes songs like "E Pari Ra" and "Danny Boy". Hayley helped write four of the fifteen songs. The US, Australia, and New Zealand version was called Celtic Treasure. Hayley dedicated the album to her grandmother, Shirley Ireland. She wrote in the album's booklet about her musical family and their history.
The day before St. Patrick's Day in 2007, Hayley performed with Celtic Woman for President George W. Bush at the White House. Also in 2007, Hayley's singing was featured in the movie Flood and the TV show Jekyll in the UK. In November 2007, Hayley had a successful "Treasure" concert tour in Japan.
New Collaborations (2008–2010)
In early 2008, Hayley sang on the Mike Oldfield album Music of the Spheres. She performed on the song "On My Heart." Hayley and Mike Oldfield performed this song live on TV in March 2008.
On October 1, 2008, Hayley recorded songs for the CD Different Voice. This music was composed by Debbie Wiseman and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. On November 30, 2008, Hayley received the Variety Club Showbiz Awards 2008 Classical Performer of the Year award. She was honored for raising money to help sick, disabled, and disadvantaged children.
In 2010, Hayley started working with the famous film composer Ennio Morricone. They worked together on her album Paradiso. The album included new songs written by Morricone and some of his most famous film music. Hayley recorded the album with Morricone's orchestra in Rome. On October 30, 2010, Hayley performed a concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre during an East Asian tour.
Concerts and Tours (2011–Present)
On Memorial Day, May 29, 2011, Hayley performed for the annual PBS special, the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C. She sang "Pie Jesu" after a touching story about a woman who met her father's wartime friend. On July 22, Hayley performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra on the radio show Friday Night Is Music Night.
On October 23, 2011, Hayley sang the New Zealand national anthem "God Defend New Zealand" at Eden Park in Auckland. This was before the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. She also sang the traditional New Zealand song "Now Is the Hour" to close the event.
In October 2011, the TV show Songs of Praise showed Hayley performing "Whispers in a Dream" and "Amazing Grace" in Salisbury Cathedral. On October 31, 2011, Hayley was featured on André Rieu's album And the Waltz Goes On with the song "Dreaming of New Zealand."
To promote her album Paradiso, Hayley went on the Paradiso Homecoming Tour from September 2011 to March 2012. On March 12, 2012, Hayley attended a special event for inspiring women hosted by the Duchess of Cornwall. In April 2012, Hayley had her first concert at the Koncerthuset in Copenhagen. In June, she performed with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Dublin.
In April 2013, Hayley toured in Asia, performing in Taipei, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. She also sang with Chinese tenor DinYi in Beijing. In November and December 2013, Hayley performed concerts in Hong Kong with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. On April 29, 2014, Hayley performed at Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Notable Performances
Performances in the 2000s
On August 24, 2003, Hayley performed with opera tenors José Carreras and Bryn Terfel at the Faenol Festival in Wales. Ten thousand people watched the concert!
On July 28, 2004, Hayley joined American tenor James Doing and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. They performed at the annual Concerts on the Square in Madison, Wisconsin. This concert was shown on TV. On December 18, 2005, she appeared on a show called Gotta Skate with Andrea Bocelli. She was also a guest singer with the Boston Pops Orchestra for their Christmas tour in December 2004.
In 2006, Hayley performed a concert with tenor Alfie Boe in Canterbury Cathedral. On May 6, 2007, Hayley sang "Abide with Me" on the TV show Hour of Power. She had performed there twice before, singing "Amazing Grace" and "I Say Grace."
On July 28, 2007, she starred in Woburn LIVE 2007. She performed songs from West Side Story with other artists. On August 7, Hayley performed solo and with Malvina Major at St James's Church, Piccadilly.
On August 17, 2008, Hayley took part in a tribute concert for songwriter Don Black. She sang the duet "Amigos Para Siempre" with Jonathan Ansell. This concert was broadcast on BBC Radio 2. On November 8, Hayley performed at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. She sang "River of Dreams" and a duet with Jonathan Ansell. The event was shown on the BBC.
On November 7, 2009, Hayley performed again at the Festival of Remembrance. She sang "We'll Meet Again" at the Royal Albert Hall. Queen Elizabeth II and Vera Lynn, who made the song famous, were there. In December 2009, Hayley performed for British troops serving in Afghanistan from St Clements Church, London. On November 13, 2010, Hayley performed for a third time at the Festival of Remembrance. She sang "For the Fallen," a poem set to music by Karl Jenkins.
In April 2011, Hayley was a guest performer at Mario Frangoulis' TV concert in Greece. In May, she was a guest performer on Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli's Asian concert tour. Hayley and Bocelli had worked together before on her album Odyssey. On July 9, 2011, Hayley was a guest performer at Joseph Calleja's annual concert in Malta.
Performances in the 2010s
On September 20, 2011, Hayley sang "For The Fallen" at a service for the 90th anniversary of the Royal British Legion. The service was held at Westminster Abbey. On December 5, Hayley performed solo and a duet with Rolando at the Royal Variety Performance.
On March 16, 2012, Hayley was invited to perform and present an award on the Korean TV show Operastar. On April 28, 2012, Hayley performed with Chinese tenors at the 2nd Beijing International Film Festival symphony concert.
In May 2012, Hayley was featured on the album Gary Barlow & The Commonwealth Band. This album celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. On June 21, Hayley performed at Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis' concert in Boston.
In November 2012, Hayley was a guest performer on the David Foster & Friends' Far East tour.
Film, Television, and Video Game Roles
Hayley had her first acting role on the US TV show American Dreams. She played guitar and sang "Who Painted the Moon Black?"
Hayley also provided her voice for the music in the 2007 Wii game Endless Ocean.
On July 27, 2011, Hayley was announced as the voice for UK TV channel ITV's coverage of the Rugby World Cup. She sang a special version of "World in Union" for it.
Helping Others: Charity Work
Charity Work in the 2000s
Hayley is very active in helping charities around the world. On November 26, 2003, Hayley performed "Pokarekare Ana" and "Amazing Grace" at the 75th anniversary of the Royal Variety Performance. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were there.
Hayley performed at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow with the Black Dyke Band. She sang "Hine e Hine" with a choir and band.
Hayley is the second youngest UNICEF Ambassador. In 2005, Hayley visited Ghana to promote her project, "Bikes for Ghana." She helped raise money to buy bicycles for young girls. This allowed them to get to school from far-off areas.
In 2006, a new type of rose was named "Hayley Westenra Rose" to raise money for UNICEF. This rose won the 2010 Rose of the Year Award! In June 2006, she helped raise money for a UK charity called Act Against Bullying. On February 24, 2007, Hayley took part in the HemiHelp "Children Helping Children" concert in London.
On September 4, 2008, Hayley became a patron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In September, Hayley sang for the British Armed Forces in Basra, Iraq. She helped launch the Poppy Appeal, which raises money for veterans. In October, Hayley and tenor Jonathan Ansell sold poppies at Waterloo Station to support the Royal British Legion. She has also been an ambassador for Save the Children in Hong Kong. More recently, she joined a breast cancer awareness campaign in New Zealand. She also supports the Women's Environmental Network and the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy, which helps children with disabilities.
On September 7, 2009, she became a vice-president of the Dame Vera Lynn Trust. This charity helps children with cerebral palsy. On October 22, Hayley joined Dame Vera Lynn to launch the Poppy Appeal for 2009. On October 6, Hayley, whose uncle served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, contributed to the charity CD We Will Remember Them.
Charity Work in the 2010s
On March 3, 2011, Hayley sang the national anthem "God Defend New Zealand" at a special service for the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. This service was held at Westminster Cathedral and attended by about 5,000 New Zealanders. On March 18, Hayley performed "Amazing Grace" at the national Christchurch memorial service in Hagley Park. On March 27, Hayley was invited to read a message at the Christchurch memorial service at Westminster Abbey.
During her Paradiso Homecoming Tour from September 2011 to March 2012, Hayley raised awareness for her UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador work. She also supported the Christchurch Earthquake Relief fund to help her hometown of Christchurch rebuild.
On August 24, 2012, Hayley performed a concert at the Gŵyl Gobaith Music Festival in Wales. This concert supported charities like Cancer Research UK, Wales Air Ambulance, CLIC Sargent, and HeadtoHeart. In Christmas 2012, Hayley was featured on the Starship Christmas Album with other artists like Justin Bieber. This album supported Starship Children's Health. On November 30, Hayley supported Kate Winslet's Golden Hat Foundation with a concert at Carnegie Hall. She performed for this cause again at Carnegie Hall in December 2016.
Discography
International Studio Albums
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Regional Studio Albums
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Compilations
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See also
In Spanish: Hayley Westenra para niños
