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...and
didn't we just give the biggest welcome to Charlotte
Church?
As I mentioned earlier - even though you couldn't see the
audience...
...we WERE there and we were SURELY heard!
Especially
when our CHARLOTTE tripped, oh, so gracefully into view!
 
Gloria:
"...Now the voice our first guest today will
definitly be heard in many of our homes over the
Christmas period - because her new album is full
of festive songs and is certain to be filling
stockings all around the country. She's one of our
biggest stars these days and in May, was voted
Artist of the Year at the Classical Brit Awards.
Though she's only fourteen, she's met the Pope,
the President of the United States, the Queen,
Price Phillip - but I do know that her feet are
very firmly on the ground, because she still tries
to go to school as often as she can and next year
she's got her sights on getting her GCSE's.
However, at the moment, in the lead-up to the
Christmas she's aiming right for the top of the
album charts and I know you're going to give the
biggest welcome this Monday to - Charlotte
Church..."
Cue
theme music - almost drowned out by the rapturous
applause - then "the" door opened and...
   
Charlotte
walked into the room, raising her eyes at
the extremely loud and most obvious welcome from
everyone in the audience.
Charlotte:
"Hi".
Gloria: "Hi
Charlotte. Lovely to see you... ooooh, gorgeous
girl."
The
applause lasted a full twenty-one seconds, only
dying out when Gloria had got her own breath back
and started speaking with our young Angel.
   
Gloria:
"Er... we love it when you come on the
program."
Charlotte:
"Thank you."
Gloria: "'Cos
you always sing us great songs and we always have
a bit of a chat. But I was thinking of you last
week - of course you had the big court case last
week and I don't want to go into the nitty-gritty
'cos I'm sure you're fed up talking about that.
But did you find all of that very stressful?"
   
Charlotte:
"Yeah. It was really, really stressful,
because the whole "thing" of a court
case is rather 'uhrrrr' anyway. But, erm, you
know, and then there was all the stories in the
press about my Mum and all that, so that was
really heartbreaking COs none of that is true.
Because it was all taking about my Mum being
money-grabbing and everything. Well, my Mum was
actually the person who set up the trust-fund for
me - where all my money is - you know - like
managed by all these accountants and all this kind
of stuff. So that was really kind of really
hurtful - erm..."
   
Gloria:
"Did - Were you upset at the time?"
Charlotte: "Yeah -
we - we were definitely upset, but then - erm - you
know I was - you were kind of like - my family were
really great and they were all being really strong
and - you know - supportive and everything. So - you
know - it all worked out well in the end."
Gloria: "I did see
some film of you, outside the court..."
Charlotte:
"uh-hum."
Gloria: ...and by that
stage you looked very much in command - you know -
able to give that statement. It's fantastic to be
able to do that at the age of fourteen."
Charlotte: "Thank
you. I mean, you kind of get used to - certain -
there were stressful situations where you have to
try and handle yourself in a professional manner and
try and - you know - and be as strong and confident
as you can be - and so that's why I tried
to..."
   
Gloria:
"Was you were being strong for your Mum that
day too - I guess?"
Charlotte: "Erm
- well - I mean my Mum's strong enough for herself
you know, so - erm - she was kind of like strong
for me."
   
Gloria:
"Well now we must just talk about the
lifestyle these day and how busy you are and all
the accolades you've had in the last year. Do you
feel, yourself, that you've had to grow up really
fast in the last twelve months?"
Charlotte: "Well
- I have kind of had to, because - erm - it's been
- er - travelling round the world - and going on
lots of different TV shows and being in the press
and that type of stuff. Erm - and - so I have kind
of certain lessons I have had to learn a bit more
early than I would have."
   
Gloria:
"Like what - for example?"
Charlotte: "Like
- erm - not to trust people so easily. You know,
you can't go and meet somebody and tell them your
whole life story because there's - you know - this
big sort of... this big... " Shakes her head,
searching for the right words... "you know -
lots of different things. And so - erm - you know
I try to - and also I - before - when I go into a
room now, I say I - I sit there and I check out
where everybody is there - you know - you kind of
like - you know - see - check out the room and see
what everybody's about..."
Gloria: "So - you feel that the
business is a little bit - you are realising the
fickleness of it sometimes?"
Charlotte: "Yeah
- you know - sometimes. I mean sometimes you know
it's really great and everybody's strong and
everything and at other times it's kind of like 'er-
all right then' - you know - erm so... but you get
used to the, the two different..."
   
Gloria: "But are
you enjoying the pace of that? Or do you feel that
you're having to be, you know" (tsk) "
in a way, too old for your age,or having to sort
of take that that responsibility?"
Charlotte: "Not
really to old for my age - I mean, I've also
learned, er, a great deal of very valuable lessons
that I'm glad that I've leant early so I won't
have to experience them when I'm older - when I've
got a lot of other stress - like you know, paying
bills and being an adult and being responsible, 'cos
at fourteen, I don't really need to do that - erm
- so there are some lessons I've early learned
that I'm very glad about. Erm - generally, I'm
happy with the pace I'm working at, because I'm
young -erm - I've got lots of energy to do
everything."
Gloria: "You
would need to have the energy for everything
you're doing." (Laughs)
Charlotte: Yeah - So
that's always a plus-point rather than a negative
factor."
Gloria:
"Sure."
Charlotte: "My
parents do travel around with me, so they protect
me as well."
Gloria: "And
that's lovely to have somebody, you know, who has
(Charl:
"Yeah") your interests at heart (Charl:
"Yeah") with you all the time." (Charl:
"Yeah")
   
Charlotte:
"And also sometimes my friends get to come
along on trips with me which is really cool - I -
like my best friends are Abby, Joe and Kim - and -
erm - Joe' s been to Australia, she's coming to
Vienna, she's been to Amsterdam... Kim's been to -
- - Turkey, St Lucia, Granada, (WOW), and loads of
places... Abby's been to meet Rikky Martin with me
and Meenies come to Germany and Sophie went to
Amsterdam and so - you know - sometimes I get to
bring all my friends, which is really
cool..."
   
Gloria:
"And that actually would make things very different
for you... all right, you've got your job to but you've
got your mates as well."
Charlotte:
"Yeah - so they can, kind of like, share all the good
things."
Gloria: "Sure - so you're in demand!"
   
Charlotte:
"ha, ha, ha, ha."
Gloria: "As a point of interest, can you have
any kind of normality at school these days - 'cos
you've got your GCSE's coming up next year?"
Charlotte: "Yeah
- well - erm - I still can - I mean, when I go
back to school, generally it's completely normal I
mean - you know - there, there, there are sort of
like looks in the corridor if I walk past - but,
you know, that's everywhere I go... so you just
kind of kind of just get used to that and - most
of the time I don't even notice it 'cos I'm not
really paying attention - 'Is anybody looking at
me...?' - it's not like that - I'm just like - off
with me friends and chat and that..."
   
Gloria:
"Well - is there any kind of jealousy or envy
do you find - amongst your...?"
Charlotte: "When
the press go for a major session - er- you know -
if they're going to say ER, you know - stuff about
my whole family and that, then sometimes there's
just kind of - looks in the corridor - but then
... you know... you get over that. I mean - that's
- I go to all-girls school so your gonna expect
that anyway, no matter who you are. Erm - you know
- so everybody gets that in my school!"
   
Gloria:
"Do you find that - um - people give you bits
of advice, you know, within the business, 'cos I
know you've met Robbie Williams and Gerry
Halliwell and all those people - do they give you
bits of advice on handling it all?"
Charlotte: "Well
- erm - Gerry Halliwell told me not to read
anything about myself, whether it was good or bad
- because if it was good then I'd get a big head
and if it was bad then I'd get depressed. Erm -
and so - I kind of - no I didn't really take that
advice actually - because I always read anything
that's reported about me or any of my family in
the papers, 'cos I just think it's important to
know the realities of it - no matter how
harsh..."
Gloria:
"Sure"
   
Charlotte:
"But then Robbie Williams wrote me this
really sweet little note and poem and he said - he
wrote all this other stuff and then he said... erm...
'Please
do not start smoking...
When you hear my life I've called you, oh no.
I'm not
joking...'
(Or something along
those lines - her voice broke into a canter here!)
which
I thought was really nice. Erm, and then - I mean,
there has been -erm- there's been lots more advice
from different stars and, you know, different -
you know people who just work in the industry and
everything."
Gloria: "Who've you really enjoyed
meeting?"
Charlotte: "Erm
- well I really did enjoy meeting Robbie Williams
- he was lovely. Also Sidney Poitier who's a
fabulous actor. I met him in L.A., which was
really, really cool. Erm - I also met Lisa
Coudreux, from friends... and she was really,
really lovely. Erm - and I met Will Smith in the
MTV awards and I also met JayZee in the MTV
awards..."
   
... not to forget...
Gloria:
"Excellent. And of course, all of the Heads
of State whom you've met."
Charlotte: "Oh,
yes of course - not to forget..."
Gloria: "Are you
ever phased - for example - when you have an
audience with the Pope, or you know, you're
meeting the Queen or Prince Charles - whoever -
are you phased by it at all?"
   
Charlotte:
"Well - it's kind of odd, because they say
things to you and as soon as you get off - as soon
as you - like - stop meeting them - well, this is
like - me speaking personally, I'm not sure about
anybody else who has... I always forget... the
instant they leave me, I always forget what
they've said to me. So I try to have somebody next
to me who I know, going - 'this is what they're
saying to me - listen to what they're saying COs
I'm going to forget... erm - so... when the Queen
met me and I ran on back an' I told my Dad and my
Dad was really excited and then I forgot and then
I asked my Dad 'what did she say to me?' and he
said 'oh - I dunno - I forgot.' and I went 'Ha!
Thanks Dad - you know - You're supposed to
remember!'"
Gloria:
"'Cos it all kind of passes in a blur really
sometimes, doesn't it?"
Charlotte:
"Yeah. I mean - I mean - it's such like a
really amazing experience... You're thinking 'Oh
my God...I'm meeting the American President...What
is he saying to me... I've no idea but I'll
pretend to listen and nod anyway.' ER - Which is
generally the way it goes? Erm - and then..."
Gloria: "Did you
like them?"
Charlotte: "Yeah
- they were really, really nice. We went to the
White House to meet - erm - Hillary Clinton and
Bill Clinton and I'm going back to Washington to
meet them COs I'm turning on the lights in
Washington..."
Gloria:
"What? - whe-when?"
   
Charlotte:
"Ugh - ER - pass!" I don't know
when."
Gloria: "This
year?"
Charlotte: "Yeh -
this year. Before Christmas."
Gloria: "Fantastic
- "
Charlotte: "Yeah
so ER"
Gloria: COs you did the
lights in Oxford street, didn't you or
something..."
Charlotte: "Yeah,
I did - and that was really cool...and you know
there was - it was raining, but there was still a
really nice crowd down there and I sang three songs
- ER - and I had a really good time doing
that..."
Gloria: "So, so
Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton... they invited you
over to Washington to do the lights there."
Charlotte: "Yeah,
yeah... so I'm really excited about that..."
Gloria: "That's
really something, isn't it? That's good.. And what
else do you have lined up that you're really keen
about or excited about?"
Charlotte: "Erm -
I mean - I'm not - probably not going to be doing an
album for the next two years... But that doesn't
mean that you're not going to hear from me for the
next two years... Doesn't mean I'm going to - like -
become an early recluse or anything..."
   
Gloria
chuckled and continued: "Why are you
not going to make another album?"
Charlotte: "Erm
- because I want to concentrate on my studies -
COs I've got GCSE's coming up in 2002 - I mean
that's a long way away but I want to be well
prepared. Erm - and you know - I just wanna be a
bit normal for a while, take time out with my
friends and my family, because I've been working -
erm - like solidly - for three albums - so, like
two and a half years and there hasn't really been
any pauses... so..."
Gloria: "And
you're going to sing us the title track from the
album at the end of the program. But have you had
a lot of input into this particular one in terms
of choice?"
Charlotte:
"Definitely - I mean - on every - on every
album. 'Voice of an Angel', 'Charlotte Church' and
'Dream a Dream'... me and my singing teacher have
picked most of the songs that have been on the
albums. Erm - I mean - then the producers will
choose - well - suggest certain songs and then
we'll say 'yes' or 'no' - erm - but generally we -
me and my singing teacher do get kind of final
vote."
Gloria: "Well, I
know you're going home to Cardiff right after this
program..."
Charlotte:
"Yeah."
Gloria: "So I
hope you have a lovely couple of days... are you
going actually back to school for a few
days?"
Charlotte: "ER -
I am - I think like two days!"
Gloria: "Two
days!?"
Charlotte: "I
can catch up on the gossip..."
Gloria: "And
then private tuition."
Charlotte: "Yes
- yes, I do have two private tutors who come
round."
Gloria: "Well,
we'll hear from you at the end of the program.
Charlotte - always very nice to see you. Thank you
very much indeed."
Charlotte:
"Thank you."
Gloria:
"Charlotte Church..."
...Loads
more applause...
Gloria:
"Well - after the break Flight Lieutenant
John Nichol will be telling us about his return to
the Gulf. And Black is back as we parade a few
little numbers which will take you out and about
this Christmas."
Gloria
- Turning to Charlotte again: "Do you
like the 'little black dress'?"
Charlotte: "Erm
- I - I don't do dresses - I - ah - no, I like big
baggy trousers generally. I feel real nice and
comfy in them."
Gloria: "Good
for yo-ou. All right, well, Charlotte'll also be
here right throughout the program - so see you
after the break..."
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