Hayley Westenra, New Zealand’s Pure, Angelic Superstar

Hayley Westenra, New Zealand’s angelic soprano of Irish descent, is 21 years old today.In this post, I’ll give you a brief background on Hayley Westenra, then introduce you to her music, explain why she’s so popular, and then dazzle you with some interesting tidbits.

The Early Years

The beautiful Hayley Westenra was born on 10 April 1987, in Christchurch, New Zealand.

At six years old, after performing the lead singing role of “Little Star” in the Christmas play at her school, a teacher took her parents aside, and explained that young Hayley was “pitch-perfect”. (the ability of a person to identify or recreate a musical note without the benefit of a known reference)

At age 12, Hayley recorded “Walking in the Air” in a professional studio, an album originally intended only for friends and family. It was re-released after it was “discovered” by tourists, while Hayley and her sister were “busking”. (street performance)

“New Zealand’s Hayley Westenra wins International Acclaim”

With huge support in New Zealand, it was only after Hayley signed with Decca Records and recorded Pure, a CD of classical, light pop, and traditional Māori songs, that she became a 16-year old international star.

“Pure“, was released in 2003, shot to #1 on the UK Classical Charts, and has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. (It’s the fastest-selling international début classical album to date)

Hayley’s next alum, “Odyssey“, was released in 2005. A mix of classical, pop, Celtic, and new age music, some of the tracks were co-written and arranged by Hayley.

Philanthropy – Hayley Westenra’s Angelic Undertakings

An angel in more than one way, Hayley Westenra is one of the youngest ambassador for UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund), and has been involved in raising awareness and support in Ghana, including two projects to provide bikes and playground equipment which pumps clean water.

Since becoming an Ambassador for UNICEF New Zealand Hayley has:

• attended and sung at the memorial for Sir Peter Ustinov at the UN,
• recorded a video about child trafficking to broadcast at her concerts,
• recorded two videos about the impact of HIV/AIDS on children,
• sung at a concert held by the New Zealand and Canadian Embassies in London,
• and performed the world premiere of UNICEF’s official title song “Children First” with A-HA singer Morten Harket.

Click here to watch Hayley’s video clips in support of UNICEF’s HIV/AIDS campaign.

Hayley Westenra, down-to-earth in New Zealand

“I get a lot of pleasure and satisfaction out of giving pleasure to people through my singing; that’s fantastic, but it’s only entertainment.”
- Hayley Westenra

Just like Lucy Lawless, and Flight of the Conchords, Hayley Westenra is a down-to-earth Kiwi. Her fame hasn’t given her an over-inflated opinion of herself, and she hasn’t needed to flaunt her body to promote her music.

AskMen.com gives Hayley a 69% “sexiness” rating, “penalizing” her on this count primarily because her innocent and childlike beauty doesn’t “ooze sex appeal”. (They do note that “…yet we can’t help but be won over by her complete cuteness and confidence in front of millions of viewers.”)

Westenra is known as a vegetarian/pescotarian, and was nominated for PETA’s ‘Sexiest Vegetarian’ for 2007. She is sometimes unable to obtain the vegetarian sources she prefers, and on those occasions she eats meat to fulfill her nutritional requirements. Westenra told the New Zealand Herald, “I’m completely bursting the bubble now, aren’t I? That’s that ruined.”

Bite Sized Facts about Hayley Westenra, New Zealand’s Classical Angel

• Hayley’s Westenra holds the title for the best selling artist in New Zealand, in any genre.
• “Pure” was the first album ever to reach 10 x platinum status in New Zealand.
• She appears to write her own blog.
• On St. Patrick’s Day 2007, she performed again for President George W. Bush at the White House. She had plans to present the president with a petition to place a mandatory carbon cap on the United States. The goal of the petition was compliance with the commitment made by President Clinton in previous years to follow the Kyoto Protocol. However, she was not able to present the petition because the president was rushed away after her concert, due to a terrorist threat.