Hayley Westenra: Teen Angel

Young Singer Takes To The Road With Il Divo

(CBS) 
"Initially, it just jumped out at me was a great song," Hayley says. "But as I read into the lyrics more, I just became very attached to them. And every time I perform the song, I look into the lyrics differently."

Hayley has said that when she made "Odyssey," one of her goals was to make a record that would represent her as a person, and she took the opportunity to choose songs that reflected how she felt about life and the world. But when you're a teenager, things change fast.

"Obviously, you keep on growing as a person," says the young singer, "and I recorded (Odyssey) a year ago, so I have moved on quite a bit. It's definitely closer to representing me than 'Purer' …. Now, I'm doing a lot of writing. That's the next step up."

For Hayley, a life of song started when she was a very young child.

"Singing was very instinctual. It just made sense to me to sing whenever I could," she recalls. "I feel very fortunate to have this gift, so I do want to share it with the world and do whatever I can to just use it the best I can, for good. It does feel like a calling."

By the time Hayley was 11 years old, she had appeared in at least 40 amateur stage musicals in Christchurch, New Zealand. Was there ever a role she wanted that she did not get?

"Oh, yes, I'm sure there was," she replies with alacrity. "I got boy parts quite often. In ballet, there were not enough boys. So they ended up choosing half and half. I got chosen to wear the grey suit and the wig, and not the pretty dresses. In 'A Christmas Carol,' I was Tiny Tim, so I got to be quite a sick, sick boy. There was a severe lack of singing boys and, at the time, it was quite disappointing."

These days, Hayley doesn't have to pretend to be a boy, but she's sure getting to sing with the boys. She is touring with Il Divo, and she's well aware "there are a lot of jealous women out there."

The truth is, while she says that they have been "lovely and welcoming," she doesn't hang out with the members of Il Divo on the road: "While they may go out after the shows, I don't because I always regret it the following day. As you get older, your voice becomes more settled, and you can take liberties like that. But my voice is still developing and so it's very fragile."

But it’s not all business with her voice. Hayley often sings and hums just for fun.

"I do! I can't help it," she says. "Sometimes, when I have a show coming up and I have to rest my voice, it can be quite frustrating. I can't help but sing around the house."

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TEN QUICK ONES With Hayley Westenra

Dog or cat?
Dog. (Hayley doesn't have a dog but a bird, a cockatiel named Zac.)

Spring or fall?
Fall

Sweater or sweatshirt?
Sweatshirt

Favorite color?
Green

Favorite song?
"I couldn't begin to say."

Latest movie seen?
"Pride & Prejudice"

Brownies: Nuts or not?
Nuts.

Dinner for two or dinner for 20?
"Dinner with all my friends would be a rare treat."

Last meal?
"A home-cooked meal; one of my mom's or dad's dishes"

Motto?
Two of them:

"Live life to the full."

"A mistake is something to learn from. You have to make mistakes in order to grow."