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Weekly
Media Feature - (4/2/00) |
CHARLOTTE
CHURCH, THE WORLD’S YOUNGEST SOPRANO SANG FOR THE POPE AND NOW FOR
PRESIDENT CLINTON WANTS TO BECOME A NEW CALLAS.
CHARLOTTE
CHURCH is seen here in Los Angeles, where she is promoting her fifth
album and where she is about to meet President BILL CLINTON and the
America’s First Lady on June 13th for the Annual Performance at
the White House. She is excited especially as her career and fame is
flashing up worldwide.
Born in
Llandiff, Cardiff, Wales in 1986, Charlotte Church is the youngest
soprano soloist to ever perform at The Royal Albert Hall and the
London Palladium, and to go top 30 in the Billboard American album
charts (number 1 in the US Classical charts).
Church has
loved music and performing for as long as she can remember. ‘When
I was three and a half, I sang GHOSTBUSTERS with my cousin at a
seaside holiday camp in Caernarfon. When we’d finished, she left
the stage but I refused to go - they had to drag me off!’ Five
years later, Church was making a name for herself at local karaoke
competitions, seeing off professional singers. ‘It was then we
realized there was really a voice there,’ recalls her mother
Marla. But the next step was all down to Charlotte. ‘I was
watching RICHARD AND JUDY and they said they were looking for
talented kids. Noone was around so I phoned up. The producers said I
had to sing on the phone. So I did Pie Jesu and that was it; I was
invited on the show!’
It wasn’t
long before Church was on TV again, this time just to say a few
words about her Aunt Caroline who was appearing on THE BIG BIG
TALENT SHOW. Only, host Johnathan Ross asked Charlotte to sing and
she stole the show. Suddenly everyone wanted to see this girl with
the golden voice - more TV appearances followed, as well as high
profile concerts, and opening for Shirley Bassey in Belgium. ‘It
all went a bit mad,’ laughs Church.
At the end of
1998 Church became the youngest ever artist to score a top 5 album
in the UK and also the youngest ever female artist to go number one
in the UK classical charts. Since her rise to fame, Church has
performed live for Prince Charles’ 50th birthday, won a Champion
Children Award for Music, and on January 13th, 1999, has a private
audience with The Pope. Mar 16th saw the US release date and
Church’s nationwide TV debut in the States. She is now also the
youngest ever artist to enter the Japanese top 20 - the second
largest record market in the world. American TV audiences have seen
her on DAVID LETTERMAN’S LATE SHOW, ROSIE O’DONNELL, JAY
LENO’S TONIGHT SHOW, REGIS and CATHIE LEE and DONNY and MARIE.
Church says she
is just ‘like any other girl - I love shopping; combat trousers,
jeans, shoes - especially shoes. I’m also a real fan of computer
games - particularly the gory ones!’ Her musical tastes are just
like any other girl too. ‘The last CD I bought was NATALIE
IMBRUGLIA and I love THE CORRS, PUFF DADDY, CELINE DION and GLORIA
ESTEFAN. And CATATONIA are just fab - but then they are from
Cardiff, like me!’
One thing is
for sure about Charlotte Church - just listen to her album VOICE OF
AN ANGEL - and you’ll know her gift is heaven sent.
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