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Meet the Artist – Natasha Hardy, singer-songwriter

I just love performing wherever I have an audience

We talked to Natasha Hardy about influences, inspirations and more ahead of her Lost in Love concert at The Jazz Room on 20 May…..

Who or what inspired you to take up singing and pursue a career in music?

The thought of singing and acting appealed to me from a very early age. I was always the performer in my family and as the middle child, it was the best way to get attention! Singing was a part of normal family life. I enjoyed singing at home, (although most of the time my brothers wanted to shut me up!) My parents always had music playing and were always singing. We sang regularly at our church, so it always felt quite normal to sing. I started to write songs from the age of 13 and had piano lessons from around age 9.

Singing always made me feel good, although I hadn’t ever considered it a career choice.  When I started to pursue my acting career, I took up singing seriously. Singing was originally to add a feather to my bow as an actress. However, unexpectedly, I completely fell in love with the classical technique; I had found a medium that would let me fully express myself. I was able to use my body in a way that allowed me to channel my energy and emotions. I could pour my heart and soul into it. It felt inevitable that this was going to be my career.

Who or what were the most important influences on your musical life and career? 

The most important influences on my career have to be my voice teacher Maryliese Happel, Mark Crayton and my mum.  Maryliese introduced me to classical repertoire and opera.  I had no idea about singing in this genre before I met her and to her I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude.  She taught me solid technique, taught me about my own voice and has always been an inspirational teacher.  She helped me ‘free the beauty of my voice’.

Mark Crayton (Roosevelt University, Chicago) who over the years helped me find my inner confidence through technique and performance master-classes. He has helped me find freedom of expression in my voice.

My wonderful mother, who calls me her little songbird, always wants to hear me sing. From the moment she wakes up, she is always singing around the house. My mother always made it feel really normal to just sing.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far? 

Self-belief and self-doubt. I have done lots of work to help myself through these challenges.  My top tips that have helped me include; meditation, positive affirmations, healthy diet & keeping fit.  I am a great believer in healthy body, healthy mind.

I always come back to a couple of sayings, allowing yourself to be both a work in progress and a masterpiece simultaneously, and my favourite quote from Martha Graham:

 “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. … No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others”  
― Martha Graham 

Which particular works do you think you perform best? 

Puccini; I love his songs, his operas, and his characters.  On the surface they can seem simple, but underneath there is a complexity and strength to them.  The way he writes is inspiring. There is always a leading melody, and long beautiful lines.  As a songwriter, I know how hard it is to make something sound ‘simple’ and that is what I love about his compositions.  I also think I perform my own compositions pretty well, because I have written them. I know every feeling and every memory that has gone into the writing of every line, lyric and melody.  I do hope one day that other singers will want to perform them.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season? 

I try to choose pieces that are well known with the audience, combining them with unknown or rarely-performed works

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why? 

Not really, I just love performing wherever I have an audience.

Who are your favourite musicians? 

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, Prince, George Michael, Faithless, Massive Attack, Andre Previn, Richard Rodney Bennet, Michael Nyman, Gabriel Yared, Hans Zimmer, Eric Serra, Puccini, Bellini, Rachmaninov, Debussy, Renee Fleming, Angela Gheorghiu and Maria Callas.

What is your most memorable concert experience? 

My first ever concert.

What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?

Practice smart, know your words/notes, know yourself.  Get trained in the business side of things. This can take up a lot of your time!  Be determined. Don’t give up. Try to get a little bit better every day. Make time for family & friends, and most importantly, have fun!

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time? 

In my beach house in Bermuda.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? 

Any of the following: Summer barbecues, listening to old LPs on a Sunday afternoon with family and friends, roast dinners, long beach walks, my poodle every time I look at her, getting to sleep in a bed with my favourite pillow and a duvet, waking up to another sunny day, the sound of rain, the smell of a forest, the touch of my grandmother’s hand, skiing, ice-skating.

What is your most treasured possession? 

An 18th-century French dressing table which has been ‘dipped and stripped’ about three times, it was my mum’s dressing table from when my parents first got married, and it has finally been restored and I use it everyday.

What is your present state of mind? 

Excited – relaxed – grateful.

‘Lost in Love’ is on Sunday 20 May at 7.30pm in the Jazz Room at The Bull’s Head. Tickets here

 

www.natashahardy.com

 

Meet the Artist – Odette, singer-songwriter

I am now very much inspired by the public who have reacted very positively to my music

Meet singer-songwriter Odette ahead of her gig at The Jazz Room at The Bull’s Head on 13 February

 

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

It just happened, really. In my early to mid twenties I was encouraged to start singing again which lead me into a whirlwind musical life of cruise ships, choirs, songwriting, backing vocals and function gigs. Somewhere in all this I met Phil Taylor who encouraged me to make an album after hearing the songs I’d written. We seemed to be a great match, so we got to work and he produced my debut album, ‘A Shake Of The Hand’, with a lot of love and care. Phil definitely gave me a lot of confidence to pursue a career as an artist. I am now very much inspired by the public who have reacted very positively to my music. The live gigs have been fantastic and I have had amazing reviews from both the gigs and my record.

Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

I think harmony is the most important influence in my musical life. It’s something I’m very passionate about and it enriches my musical career immensely. It plays a big part in my songs with all the vocal arrangements I do which has become somewhat of a signature sound. I also love the harmony singing groups I run, singing backing vocals in different bands and doing vocal arrangements for clients. I just adore it!

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

As an artist, my career is still in its early stages, so I’m sure I’m heading for some challenges. One challenge I can recall was when I was finishing my album. I had one song left to write as the album was too short. Up until then I had just written songs at my leisure and now I had to sit down and sweat one out! That was challenging as I’d not been in that songwriting mode before. I’m pretty chuffed with the result. I wrote “Silly Happy”.

Which performance/recordings are you most proud of?

I am incredibly proud of my album, “A Shake Of The Hand”. Really proud. It was a long time in the making and I don’t regret a second of over time. It’s so worth putting in the time and effort to get it just as you want it. I really love the track “A Thousand Autumns”. I think that’s the track where the majority of the session musicians are on it. The beautiful Indian vocals by my friend, Kartik, were added at the last minute and it just transformed the track. I love it!!

I’m also really proud of my live band which is quite different to what’s on the album. We’ve basically condensed all that’s on the album into a five piece band. Here is a video of us playing at Whitby Musicport Festival

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1LI6__X0yU&w=560&h=315]

 

Read the full interview here

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