随分と久しぶりにちゃんとした形で記事として取り上げられました。
「The Australian Women's Weekly April 2011」で紹介された記事。
Christchurchでの地震後の帰国中に取材されたようです。
Hayley Westenra Home & heart
News of the deadly February earthquake left Hayley Westenra fearing for the lives of her family and friends. When the internationally acclaimed singer flew in to lend her voice to the Christchurch memorial service, she told Trudie McConnochie how she plans to help her city.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD EYRE STYLING BY ANNA CASELBERG HAIR & MAKE-UP BY MELLE VAN SAMBEEK
IT'S A VOICE that has mesmerised world leaders and royalty, moved audiences around the world to tears and catapulted her to international stardom, but today, on a grey, humid Auckland morning, Hayley Westenra's powerful voice is faltering.
Sipping on water (at room temperature, to protect her vocal chords) while she gathers her thoughts, the Kiwi songbird's appearance is drawn but still delicately beautiful, her porcelain skin glowing despite her muted energy. True, jet-lag is partly responsible for the erstwhile self-assured performer being faintly off-key; The Australian Women's Weekly has nabbed Hayley just hours after she arrived in Auckland on a whirlwind trip from her
London home. The Christchurch-born vocal powerhouse has returned to her beloved home town, a city on its knees after February's earthquake, to sing at the memorial service for the estimated 182 victims. Never before has the pull to New Zealand been stronger.
"Usually when I'm coming back home it's Christmas or something really nice and I'm excited but this time I had a sick feeling in my stomach," she says softly.
She pauses, struggling to articulate the sadness that has engulfed her. "I can't even put into words how much of an effect the earthquake has had on me. Despite the fact that I'm miles away... my whole heart was with Christchurch.
I cried for the whole week. It was hard to take in, being so far removed from it all. I'm still struggling to believe what's happened to my home city."
This is not the Hayley we know and love, the Hayley whose quiet poise and rock-solid self-assurance from a tender age have endeared her to both classical and non-classical music devotees around the world. Few could disagree with acclaimed tenor Andrea Bocelli - with whom she famously performed Time to Say Goodbye - when he declared she had the voice of an angel.
Now the vocal prowess that has brought down the house at hallowed venues such as Royal Albert Hall and crystallised patriotic fervour with soaring pre-test match renditions of the national anthem is Hayley's instrument to help Christchurch people repair their homes and hearts. The high-achieving sweetheart is organising Quake Aid, a fundraising concert at Auckland's Vector Arena in August, and has a charity single in the pipeline. She's also planning to sing at a free concert in Christchurch, in a bid to lift the broken spirits of Cantabrians. Her gift back to the community that has nurtured and supported her is hope.
"I can't imagine what those families who have lost loved ones are going through," she says, speaking slowly and cautiously. "Because Christchurch is quite a close-knit community it's going to have a real effect on everyone; everyone really feels that loss.
"I decided to put on a concert in Christchurch - a free concert, to show my support - and hopefully everyone will come along and have a good time. Quake Aid will hopefully raise a ton of money because that's what's needed. I don't want people forgetting that Christchurch is going to need ongoing help and support."
Like so many New Zealanders living overseas, the tyranny of distance has never felt more agonising than since 22 February. Because she didn't experience the life-shattering earthquake herself, Hayley does not want to be seen as a spokesperson for Christchurch, but as one of the city's most prominent citizens she wants to use her high profile to help residents get back on their feet.
"Christchurch people, and Kiwis in general, are a resilient bunch. It's a real tragedy but I know Christchurch is going to come together, the city will be rebuilt, and bit by bit, day by day, people's faith will be restored. Christchurch will come back stronger."
The 23-year-old is one of the city's favourite daughters, the story of her success forever intertwined with its alleys and avenues. She was discovered at 14 while busking on the street with younger sister Sophie, her talent so luminous that when brought to the attention of savvy execs at Universal Records, they signed her up and whisked her away to London.
The rest is history: Hayley is now New Zealand's biggest selling artist of all time in any genre, and holds the record for the biggest selling classical album of the 21st century. Her debut album Pure reached the top 10 of the pop charts in 11 countries and has sold more than four million copies. What's refreshing about this phenomenally successful performer, and intrinsic to her enduring appeal, is that Hayley has never forgotten where she comes from - which is why her desire to return to New Zealand is stronger than ever in the nation's darkest period.
"The streets of Christchurch were pretty much my backyard growing up," she says. "The image of the cathedral in tatters was just heartbreaking - it's such an iconic building so it really brought it home. Of course there are always disasters around the world but when something happens to a place you have such a close connection with it really does shake you up. You always see your home country as a safe place - well I did, anyway. It's just a huge shock when you realise - especially after seeing the devastation in Japan that nowhere is safe. I have such a strong bond with my home town, probably even more so now I'm living away from it, and because of that I really was heartbroken." Hayley will never forget the moment she heard about our second largest city's devastation, the safety of her supportive parents Jill and Gerald and brother Isaac, 17 - to whom she had bid farewell at the airport just days previously - suddenly in jeopardy. Sophie, 20, did not experience the earthquake, having moved to Auckland a year ago.
"I had gone for a couple of weeks' holiday and had been hanging out with family, and I arrived back in London about three days prior to the earthquake," she recalls. "I was jet-lagged and got up quite early, opened my laptop and got a huge fright seeing the news. I managed to get hold of my family; they have a corded phone so weren't reliant on electricity.
"By then my dad had made it home; my mother and brother had been home during the quake, thankfully. In my dad's voice you could hear the shock, he had that shock in his voice for quite a few days."
Fortunately the family home sustained only minor damage. Hayley's father had a narrow escape when the Cashel Mall building in which his jewellery valuation business was located collapsed, the premises reduced to a pile of rubble.
"It's a bit scary knowing he was in the heart of it. We were all so thankful that he is okay," she says, reflecting on those who were not so fortunate. "I just can't imagine what all those families are going through right now... everyone really feels that loss, and everyone will carry scars for a while, in one way or another.
"The fact is, it could quite easily have been one of my close friends, one of my family members. My mum was meant to go into town but she wasn't feeling well. She said, 'I would have walked past the CTV building at that time.'"
Hayley leant on her London-based Kiwi friends for support in the weeks following the quake. It was during a jam-packed vigil service at Westminster Cathedral for expats to honour their lost people that she found some solace. Her emotional recital of the national anthem during the service is among her most heart-wrenching performances."After I sang I pretty much crumbled," she says. "It's emotional singing the national anthem at the best of times - it brings a lump to my throat singing it at an All Blacks match.
She continues, "About 5000 Kiwis turned up for that service and that really showed just how much of an effect the earthquake had had on Kiwis worldwide. We raised a lot of money and hopefully were able to show Kiwis back home that we were there with them in spirit."
Once again Hayley has been called upon to unify Kiwis through the power of song. Her commanding performance of Amazing Grace at the earthquake memorial service - cutting through the solemn silence of mourners - required every last inch of professionalism this wisebeyond-her-years performer possesses.
"It was a pretty special day," she says. "Obviously it was very emotional but there was a lot of hope; people are getting ready to take that next step towards rebuilding the city again. The families and friends [of victims] were there and it was pretty sad having them at the front.
"There's still a lot of pain there but I think it was really good to bring the city together. That's how everyone's got through it so far - by sticking together."
Even though the circumstances of this visit are far from celebratory, Hayley is grateful for the chance to spend even a little time with her family ("When I come home I pretty much spend my whole time in the kitchen with my mum, just chatting at the breakfast bar," she says). The darling of the classical music community was so eager to be reunited with family that she asked Sophie, an aspiring actor who shares her sister's almond eyes and unbridled optimism, to come along to The Australian Women's Weekly photo shoot.
"I think she just wants family around her right now," Sophie says.
Although their days of busking together are long behind them, the sisters remain in close contact via the online videocalling software Skype.
"I think family is really important and I'm lucky to have a really great, supportive family. They're always there for me, and they kept me grounded, and that's important," Hayley says.
" When you're younger it's easy to get caught up with your career. Now I value family time more than I ever have. It's great to have a career and it's wonderful to have the opportunity to pursue your dream and I'm going to keep doing that, but if I need to be with my family that's what I'm going to prioritise."
Meanwhile, London is still calling this classical music superstar, and she agrees, it's a very good life. The globetrotting beauty owns a small flat in a quiet yet central area of the city in which actor Colin Firth also resides ("We're like this!" she jokes, crossing her fingers together), offering her some serenity amid the hustle and bustle.
"I have some good friends and I enjoy going out for cocktails with the girls, putting on a nice pair of heels and making the most of the city, and at the other end of the spectrum there's the classic pub chilling with friends," she says.
"London's a great city and in Britain they are treating me really well, which I really appreciate, but at the end of day I'll always be a Kiwi girl at heart," she says. "As you get older you realise you'll always want to go back to your roots. I think that's the case for a lot of Kiwis. I intend to return to New Zealand, once I'm ready to take a step back from the showbiz scene. Every time I make a trip back I find it harder to leave." There is a piece of her heart in London too. Hayley doesn't want to publicly comment on her relationship with French sound engineer Arnaud Sabard, who met her family when he accompanied her to Christchurch for Christmas in 2009, but she says she is very happy in her life.
"On some days my life is very mundane; it's dreary and it's grey and I'm sort of dreaming of New Zealand and home, and then on some days it's really exciting and I'm living the dream," she says with a smile. "Some days I'm just doing normal things, like going to the supermarket, running errands, going to the drycleaners, and other days I'm getting dolled up for an awards show and running around the place, and just sort of running on adrenaline which is not very healthy but it's great fun. I'm just making the most of the city."
Socialising hasn't always been a priority for the hardworking star. Hayley spent the bulk of last year in Rome - "They dragged me there kicking and screaming," she smiles with mock complaint - working with the legendary Ennio Morricone, the highly respected composer behind the music from classic films such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Cinema Paradiso. Under the 82-year-old virtuoso's tutelage her tone has attained new definition; the resulting recordings comprise her new album Paradiso.
A heavy promotional tour looms, and at the time of print, Japan was still on the list of destinations. (Hayley has a massive fan base in Asia; in 2008 she released an album in that market entitle( Hayley Sings Japanese Songs.) Paradiso, her first studio record of new material since 2007's Treasure, will be released at the end of April.
"This project was really a dream come true," Hayley says. "We used some of his older music, like the theme from Cinema Paradiso, and he rearranged orchestral scores for me. We had lyrics written by some top lyricists - Don Black and Tim Rice - and I wrote some as well. Sitting in that recording studio and looking out into the studio room with the orchestra playing and him conducting... I had to really pinch myself." It's the first time in the interview that Hayley emerges from her cloud of solemnity and transforms into her familiar joyous self. Amid this period of intense introspection, she is achingly aware that both professionally and personally, there is much to be thankful for.
"I'm in a really good place right now," she concludes. "I'm feeling really happy."
