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Aladdin Casino Resort |
Welsh Press Scans
Source:
Western Mail
Click to view full size Image |
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Western Mail
11 March
Please
note: The last few
paragraphs of this article repeat an earlier
newspaper mis-quote from Charlotte's Radio 1 interview
with Chris Moyles in
January. To hear what Charlotte actually said, and in
the proper context,
check out our
feature |
Church bringing
angelic voice to Aladdin
Source:
Las Vegas Sun
Date:
18 April 2003
By: Marilyn Larocque |
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Who: Charlotte Church.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Tickets: $100, $75, $50.
Information: (702) 785-5000.
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Tired of tuneless mayhem masquerading
as music? Deafening decibels? Illiterate lyrics?
In a popular music world populated
primarily by screamers, not singers, local audiences will
have a choice this weekend when Charlotte Church performs
her first concert in Las Vegas at Aladdin Theatre for the
Performing Arts at 8 p.m. Saturday.
She'll be backed by a full orchestra.
Acoustic guitarist Frank Simes will also perform.
How does a teenage singing sensation
billed as having "The Voice of an Angel" compete today?
"I think there will always be
screamers," Church responded, "but I like being different,
really original."
Her independent thinking influences not
only her music but her costumes.
"I like clothes that are smart,
elegant, nothing too revealing," she said.
What? No bare bellybutton?
"Not as yet," she answered.
With international album sales topping
10 million, the vivacious blonde ranks as the world's most
successful classical crossover female artist. She has scored
success with religious songs "Pie Jesu" and "Panis Angelicus"
Broadway hits, chamber music, Gaelic airs, pop songs and
movie themes.
She has sung for queens, first ladies,
presidents and the pope. Her 1999 record, "Voice of an
Angel," and her 2000 Christmas collection, "Dream a Dream,"
hit platinum in the United States. She's also the youngest
artist to achieve a No. 1 album ranking on the classical
charts in the United Kingdom.
For her Las Vegas show, Church has
charted a "mellow" program. "There'll be lots of variety,
songs that let me change my style, songs I'm comfortable
with and love," she said.
Guitarist Simes has impressive
credentials. He's recorded with Mick Jagger, Elton John, Don
Henley (Simes has also been his touring guitarist since
1989), the Eagles' Timothy B. Schmidt, Warren Zevon and
Martha Davis. He's written background music for TV series
and appeared on "Saturday Night Live" with Jagger and
Henley.
Church has been in the spotlight since
her preteen years.
Now 17, she was born in Llandaff,
Cardiff, Wales, on Feb. 21, 1986. She appeared on a local
television show when she was 9 and was immediately signed to
a major recording contract. She has expanded her vocal
studies beyond classical to include other singing styles
with various teachers.
She recently added a new mentor, Ian
Shaw. "He's a really famous jazz singer, absolutely
brilliant," she said enthusiastically. "He's broadening my
voice. I really enjoy that."
Church comes from a close-knit musical
family.
"My mom plays classical guitar, and the
rest of my family sings," she recalled. "We live near each
other, and I see my relatives every day when I'm home. At
parties, we don't have a DJ. Everybody gets up and sings.
It's wonderful."
Initially her career was a family
affair.
"I've been traveling since I was 12,
and my parents went with me the first few years," she said,
then added quickly, "but not now. They're really young, 37
or 38, quite modern, not too strict. At the beginning, Mom
handled the business end of things. She has a good head for
business and made sure nobody ripped me off. But I've always
chosen my own clothes, my songs and photos."
Two private tutors were also part of
Church's entourage in her early teens.
"They worked with me when I was on the
road. When I was home, I went back to school. Most of the
time I was ahead of my class," she added proudly. "Because
you can leave school when you're 16 in Britain, I quit then
to concentrate on my career."
What's it like to be so successful so
young?
"You've got no fear," she stated. "I
didn't understand what was happening, and I loved the
attention. It was exciting. I'm glad I got into it young. It
helped me grow up a lot. It's good to have more experience
and knowledge about things -- how people behave, for
instance, things I won't have to learn when I'm older."
What are Church's plans for the future?
She said her most recent album,
"Prelude -- the Best of Charlotte Church" (released in
November), is a "closing of a chapter" in her career. So,
she's exploring new directions.
"I love many types of music," she said.
"Some of my favorite artists are India.Arie, Jill Scott and
Sting. But I haven't a clue yet where my singing will go."
She's sure, however, that it won't be
to pop, R&B or opera.
"Opera's so restricting," she remarked.
"You have to sing what was written ages ago and sing it in a
certain way and phrase the notes just so. There's no
freedom.
"I like to interpret music in my own
way and have freedom to add my own flavor. I can sing in so
many different voice styles. I'm experimenting with writers,
producers, to see what we want to do."
Will Church write her own songs?
She laughed. "I only took piano for two
years, and that was a long time ago. I've written some
poetry, though; so I might try writing lyrics or co-write
with someone."
But singing isn't her only interest.
In May she'll begin hosting the U.K.'s
irreverent topical TV quiz show, "Have I Got News for You."
Her first film, "I'll Be There," a comedy, will be released
this year by Warner Bros. in both the U.K. and the U.S.
"It's set in Wales," Church said. "I
play the daughter of an aging, reclusive rock star, who had
a one-night-stand, and I was the result. He's become an
alcoholic and lives in a massive mansion. He was never told
he had a daughter, so the story focuses on our discovering
he's my father."
Four songs in the film showcase her
vocal versatility -- "Would I Know," written by Diane Warren
and produced by Walter Afanasieff; the title song, "I'll Be
There" (a Motown classic); "Summertime" (from "Porgy and
Bess"); and a Gaelic ballad, "In Hebrid Seas."
Church indicated more films are a
definite goal.
"But more serious," she said. "I wanted
to start with something low key, a small British film
(produced by Morgan Creek Productions). I'd also love to go
to university. My friends tell me I'd learn so much. But I
don't know if I have the discipline.
"What I love is singing," she said. "If
I lost the fame tomorrow, as long as I could sing, fame
wouldn't be important."
Church brings angelic voice to
Vegas
Source:
Vegas.com |
Shows
Aladdin Theatre
Aladdin
3667 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Call For Reservations
(702) 736-0111
(800) 634-3424
Price:
$50.00, $75.00, $100.00
Payment options: American Express, Cash, Discover,
JCB, MasterCard, Personal checks, Travelers checks, VISA
Showtimes: 8 p.m.
Show dates: April 19, 2003
Reservations: Reservations Recommended
Age Restrictions: None
General Restrictions: None
More Classical: If you are interested in Classical,
you may want to attend these other
Classical shows.
Review:
Church brings angelic voice to Vegas
VEGAS.COM
Soprano singer Charlotte Church has accomplished a lot
during her career -- amassed international sales topping 10
million albums, recorded the most successful Christmas album
ever by a British artist on the American charts, sung at
presidential inaugurations and performed for royalty.
Even more remarkable, Church did this all before
turning 17.
When Church was just 11 years old, she performed "Pie
Jesu" on the British television show "Talking Telephone
Numbers." Sony Music UK immediately offered her a
multi-album record deal.
Church became an international sensation with her
debut album, "Voice Of An Angel," released just after she'd
turned 13.
The album's release also earned Church a place in the
record books. She is the youngest solo artist ever to
achieve a Top 30 album in the U.S., the youngest artist ever
to hit No. 1 on the classical charts and the youngest artist
ever to hit the Top 5 in the UK. Church is also the world's
most successful classical crossover female artist.
Her 1999 self-titled second album and her 2000
Christmas collection, "Dream A Dream," achieved platinum
status in the United States. "Enchantment" was released in
2001 and debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Top 200 album
chart.
Church's repertoire includes Broadway musicals, opera,
chamber music, Gaelic airs and contemporary songs.
Source:
reviewjournal.com
Date:
18 April 2003
By:
Doug Elfman |
Charlotte Church earned fame with
pop-opera, but she says she's moving away from it: "To be
an opera singer, you have to be really strict with
yourself, and you have to be practicing every day, and
things like that. I just don't have that discipline."
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Charlotte Church continues to grow
up in front of the world. A veteran of the music business at
17, Church has sold millions of albums, sung for the pope,
and informed President Bush that her native Wales is not in
the United States (a story we'll get to in a moment).
She has alternately been championed
by the British press as well as criticized by British
tabloids for wearing certain clothes and for supposedly
saying nasty things that she says she's never said.
The spry, charming and blond Church,
who sings Saturday at the Aladdin, tells the Review-Journal
she is moving away from the operatic songs that helped make
her a pop-classical star, because the musical field is just
too strict for her.
Question: How do you protect your
voice?
Answer: I'm not really fanatical
about it. Before I go onstage, I try to have as much sleep
as I possibly can. I try to keep healthy. I drink honey and
lemon and hot water before I go onstage.
Q: You don't smoke or have bad
habits like that, do you?
A: No. I did at one point, but no.
Q: That'll ruin your voice pretty
fast.
A: Yeah, I know. (Chuckles.) I got
shouted out by everyone, so I said, "Oh, OK, I better stop."
Q: How much do you still practice?
A: At the moment, I'm kind of
experimenting with different voice coaches. I have a lot of
different voices. So I'm just experimenting, really. I want
to do something really different. I'm making a departure
from opera, now. I don't mean that in a bad way. But I grew
up listening to a lot of opera, and I always loved it. But
opera is very strict and rigid. Opera's at its greatest when
it's sung in one particular way, and there's no freedom in
it. I wanted more freedom. I want to write songs. My
favorite kinds of artists are, like, Jill Scott, India.Arie,
Sting, Eva Cassidy, people like that, just something kind of
soul-y, and world music-y, that's still folky and still
hopefully with classical music. I don't know how I'm going
to achieve that, but I'm going to try.
Q: Classically trained musicians can
lose their ability to create, because they're so structured.
A: Yeah, exactly. There's just no
freedom in it. There's no individuality. And I get bored of
things easily. I think if I'd gone into opera when I was 20,
I probably would have stuck with it.
Q: So you're not going to end up the
great soprano at age 30?
A: No, I don't think it would suit
me, either. I'd have to be much more ... dedicated. ... I
just like to live my life and not be fanatical about
anything. But to be an opera singer, you have to be really
strict with yourself, and you have to be practicing every
day, and things like that. I just don't have that
discipline.
Q: I heard this story about you and
George W. Bush, that you met him backstage and he asked you
where you were from, and then he seemed to think you were
still from the States, no matter what you said.
A: Yeah, I said, "I'm from Wales,"
and he said, "What state is Wales in?" I was, like: "Um,
here in England. It's not in America." He was really nice
... charming. So I'm a Bush fan, although I'm a very big
Clinton fan, as well.
Q: Do you get tutored, or do you go
to school?
A: No, when you're 16 in the U.K.,
you can leave school. ... What I wanted to do was to take
these two years off and try to concentrate on my career. But
I want to go to university, because I'm really interested in
psychology and philosophy and history and anthropology.
Q: I think in an interview a few
years ago you said studying philosophy would make you become
a better song interpreter.
A: Yeah, well, just living life
would help me become a better interpreter. I've got a bit of
that to do, yet.
Q: So it sounds like you want to be
a singer, in a career.
A: Yeah, I could never imagine
myself not singing. I can imagine myself not being famous.
The fame bit is the part that really doesn't bother me. It
has great upsides, but it has great downsides. The upsides
are things like money, obviously, and the free stuff and --
I sound like such a cliché, sorry -- but some of the fun
stuff is amazing, will just make my day. The downsides are,
like, press and so much pressure. ... Lots of people say,
"Aren't you worried that you're a novelty, you were
commercial to start, so your albums will sell less and
less." It's nice to sell lots of albums, of course, but
really as long as I'm singing it doesn't bother me.
Q: Speaking of the downside, I saw
this story in the tabloids a couple of years ago, and you
were wearing this outfit, which seemed fine to me, and they
had next to you a picture of Christina Aguilera from the
"Moulin Rouge" video, and it said: Charlotte's beginning to
look like this!
A: Things like that really don't
bother me. They can say what they want about my weight or
how I look. I ignore that, because that's all trash. Really
untrue things have been written about me, fabricated things
I was supposed to have said. That really upsets me. There
was a big story in the tabloids about when I went on tour,
and they said that I swore at someone in a wheelchair
because I didn't want to do a meet-and-greet. ... I've got
family members calling me saying, "Did you say that?" And I
say: "Don't be stupid, of course not. I'd never say that."
And there were some things I was supposed to have said about
Sept. 11, that the Americans overexaggerated, and things
like that. I was in Florida at the time, and I had people
coming up to me going, "Remember the firefighters," and I
was, like, "I didn't say it." ... So there are some things
that really bother me.
Q: Are you afraid of anything, now?
A: Not really. When I was, like, 12,
I had so much confidence: I watched some of the tapes the
other day, when I was on David Letterman for the first time,
and I probably did seem a little arrogant then, but that's
just because I was so bubbly, and I had so much confidence,
because you have no insecurities, no inhibitions, at 12. You
just do what you think is funny, and people respond to you.
So I probably did come off like a little brat then, but I
hope I've grown out of it.
Q: I asked Lil' Bow Wow a couple of
years ago, when the last time he was nervous, and he said:
I'm never nervous. He was 12 or so.
A: Yeah, that's true. I was never
nervous at that age. I was nervous in front of the pope, and
when I did a showcase in London. But because you have no
fear, and no inhibitions at that age, you don't even think
about cause and effect. You just do it. But as I'm gettin'
older, I'm just getting more nervous. And weird. (Laughs.)
Q: What kind of pressure do you feel
from your parents and the record company?
A: Everyone's always tried to
stereotype them as the pushy parents, and they've tried to
back away from that as much as they can. People just say
that because it just fits into the story of me becoming a
"wild child." The only pressure really is not really from
the record company. They say: Take as much time as you want,
and do any style you want, because if you're not happy with
it, you're not gonna promote it, and it's not gonna sell. So
what it is, is just the press. That puts unbelievable
strain. Unbelievable strain. Whether it's with my family
members, or friends selling stories.
Q: When you perform, what will you
be performing?
A: It's kind of a mellow set. I'm
doing "Fields of Gold" by Sting, and I'm doing "The First
Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Don't Rain on My Parade," "Ain't
No Sunshine" and I'm still doing some of my old (opera and
Broadway) songs. It's gonna be cool. It's a lot of songs
I've never sung before, so I'm gonna be really nervous.
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