Hayley Westenra: In Her Own Voice
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Product Description
Book Description
From 'Little Star' to superstar
Product Description
Hayley's first performance as 'Little Star' in a Christmas play was perfectly pitched, beautifully sung and enthusiastically received. She was six years old.
Now, at the tender age of twenty, she is the fastest-selling debut classical artist ever. Her string of musical accolades is astonishing and her audiences range from royalty to premiers.
This is her story, from her first performance, through later roles in major productions such as Annie, La Bohème and The Sound of Music, her decision at the age of eleven to busk for her lunch money, and the subsequent record deals, money, charity work and classical superstardom.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Many would consider Hayley Westenra to not have walked the earth long enough to justify an autobiography (plus the fact that this is her second book; an authorised biography was published in 2004) but to dismiss this book on that criteria would be a shame. Of course it does not have the intrigues and knowledgeable voice of someone in their fifties, who has endured love lost and found, career setbacks and so fourth, but this book is not really supposed to be about that. At twenty years old at the time of writing the book, Westenra simply wants to document her young life in its own little chapter. Although Darren Henley helps write the book, it is told in the first person, and Henley succeeds at projecting out Westenra's personality.
This book's most appealing trait, perhaps, is the inside look of the music industry, not just from anyone's eyes, but through the eyes of a child, and later a naive teenager. Hayley documents her journey through the industry with innocent sincerity, and what is so beautiful about it all is that she is still young enough to remember everything with utmost clarity; an advantage she has over older autobiographers. There is something charming about reading about the world through so much naivety and innocence. She will lose this narrative voice when she gets older so I can hardly regret that she has written this autobiography early on in her life.
Any Westenra fan knows the early story of her busking in Christchurch and entering numerous competitions, this area of her life is dealt with quickly enough to get onto her eventual record deals which are far more interesting. Anyone hoping for exposés or saucy secrets are to be disappointed, but the fact that she chooses to omit these kind of details makes it all the more refreshing. She is also seemingly aware of her strengths and weaknesses and is more than happy to share these with the world.
It is a nice book. It is not fantastically gripping, and there are some chapters that you are itching to skip because, as always with extremely nice people, they tend to be on the duller side of things. It is a lot less sickly than her last book though, and there are certain points where you can read in between the lines to find that she has some negative opinions about people and situations without saying it out right (her paragraph on Charlotte Church is a good example of this).
I would, more than anything, recommend this to people who are interested in a career in music. She has some insights to share, and she is a fantastic role model to any budding star as she is so grounded and sincere. It is a highly readable, accessible and short enough book for young people to read and to be inspired.
This book's most appealing trait, perhaps, is the inside look of the music industry, not just from anyone's eyes, but through the eyes of a child, and later a naive teenager. Hayley documents her journey through the industry with innocent sincerity, and what is so beautiful about it all is that she is still young enough to remember everything with utmost clarity; an advantage she has over older autobiographers. There is something charming about reading about the world through so much naivety and innocence. She will lose this narrative voice when she gets older so I can hardly regret that she has written this autobiography early on in her life.
Any Westenra fan knows the early story of her busking in Christchurch and entering numerous competitions, this area of her life is dealt with quickly enough to get onto her eventual record deals which are far more interesting. Anyone hoping for exposés or saucy secrets are to be disappointed, but the fact that she chooses to omit these kind of details makes it all the more refreshing. She is also seemingly aware of her strengths and weaknesses and is more than happy to share these with the world.
It is a nice book. It is not fantastically gripping, and there are some chapters that you are itching to skip because, as always with extremely nice people, they tend to be on the duller side of things. It is a lot less sickly than her last book though, and there are certain points where you can read in between the lines to find that she has some negative opinions about people and situations without saying it out right (her paragraph on Charlotte Church is a good example of this).
I would, more than anything, recommend this to people who are interested in a career in music. She has some insights to share, and she is a fantastic role model to any budding star as she is so grounded and sincere. It is a highly readable, accessible and short enough book for young people to read and to be inspired.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It's a breath of fresh air to see a biography about a current female "star" which is not full of saucy details about the artist private life, but with full of inspirational thoughts for a young musician or singer.
A charming, in some places a bit a naïve and funny account of Hayley's passion for singing and the somewhat fairytale story of her success and encounters with some famous and infamous people.(The story of meeting with Charlotte Church is just so spot on!)
Recommended; especially for budding artists!
A charming, in some places a bit a naïve and funny account of Hayley's passion for singing and the somewhat fairytale story of her success and encounters with some famous and infamous people.(The story of meeting with Charlotte Church is just so spot on!)
Recommended; especially for budding artists!
Format:Paperback
It's a breath of fresh air to see a biography about a current female "star" which is not full of saucy details about the artist private life, but with full of inspirational thoughts for a young musician or singer.
A charming, in some places a bit a naïve and funny account of Hayley's passion for singing and the somewhat fairytale story of her success and encounters with some famous and infamous people.(The story of meeting with Charlotte Church is just so spot on!)
Recommended; especially for budding artists!
A charming, in some places a bit a naïve and funny account of Hayley's passion for singing and the somewhat fairytale story of her success and encounters with some famous and infamous people.(The story of meeting with Charlotte Church is just so spot on!)
Recommended; especially for budding artists!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hayley Westenra at Twenty (In Her Own Voice)
I conferr with all the previous reviewers here in-so-far that this is a story well told, but if you are a longstanding admirer, who has kept abreast of Hayley's career, there is... Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2008 by P. G. Croft
A Very Special Gift
"Hayley Westenra In Her Own Voice", is probably going to be one of those books you read more than once, even if it is only to convince yourself that it is possible for anyone to... Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2007 by "GW"
another Kiwi reaches the pinnacle
Kiwi lass Hayley Westenra isn't a mountain climber like Sir Edmund Hillary, but she ascended just as surely to the peak of the classical music charts with her breathtaking vocal... Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2007 by Wilfred555
Inspirational and honest - a must read for any fan
The book market is full of biographies and autobiographies of people that many would perceive as too young or unworthy to justify a book and dismiss them as a waste of their time... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2007 by J
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