Hayley Westenra Photo: Courtesy of  Shanghai Grand Theater

By Zhang Cao

Hayley Westenra has been compared to Sarah Brightman and Enya. But the big difference is that she was younger than either of those stars when her first album became a bestseller in 2003.

The 23-year-old New Zealand soprano had released three albums in her home country by the age of 16. Then her album Pure, a mixture of classical, light pop and traditional Maori songs, went international, quickly reaching No.1 on the UK classical chart and No.8 on the UK pop chart, with 20,000 copies sold in the first week.

She released her second international album Odyssey in 2005 and has not looked back. Since her first New Zealand album, originally intended for family and friends, she has released seven international albums and another 10 New Zealand recordings.

Although she has toured internationally through Australia, Japan, the US and the UK, on Saturday, October 30 she will make her first appearance on the Chinese mainland at the Shanghai Grand Theater.

"I was struggling choosing the program for the concert. But now I'm pretty sure I've chosen a nice selection, including some classical songs, some folk and some pop. And I've learned a song in Putonghua which I might perform in the concert," Westenra said.

In Shanghai she will sing traditional folk songs like "Scarborough Fair," "Amazing Grace," "Danny Boy," the Maori song "Pokarekare Ana" and pop numbers like "Yuki No Hana" and Joni Mitchell's "River" and "Both Sides Now."

Westenra has her own understanding of crossover music. Some classical purists believe that many crossover singers lack real vocal ability and that their music is a watered- down version of the originals.

"I love classical and also pop. I listen to the Spice Girls, Celine Dion, Coldplay and all the different styles of music. I just sing what I like. I am thinking of developing my own style. I don't think music has to be categorized very precisely," she said.

Westenra's talent was discovered by her music teacher when she was 6, when she performed in a Christmas play at school. Her teacher told her parents after the show that their daughter was "pitch perfect."

After that, Westenra started learn the violin, piano, guitar, and began singing lessons as well.

At the age of 12, Westenra recorded a demo album and made 1,000 copies, which were sent to her friends and family.

After she finished the album, Westenra and her sister busked in her hometown Christchurch to sell the leftover copies.

Large crowds gathered when she and her sister performed on the streets and a journalist approached them and asked if they wanted to appear on television. Soon there followed an offer from a concert promotion company and then Universal Records New Zealand offered her a recording deal.

Date: October 30, 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater

上海大剧院

Address: 300 People's Avenue

人æ°'大é"300号

Tickets: 120 to 580 yuan

Call 6217-2426 or 6217-3055 for further information