Hayley Westenra

New York Times:

Hayley Westenra is the stuff of dreams for record companies gloomy over falling sales of classical music. A bright-eyed 16-year-old with an angelic voice, she is close enough to womanhood to secure ample coverage in the girl-obsessed British press. Add to that, her warm soprano voice has just turned her new CD, "Pure," into one of the fastest-selling classical debut albums ever.

Decca Music Group, a British label owned by the Universal Music Group, is almost breathless with excitement. "When you're in the presence of beauty, it's not something you have to think about," its publicity pamphlet proclaims. "Whether it's aural or visual, or in Hayley Westenra's case both, you tingle with the feeling that your soul has been touched."

Those words were written before her 13-song medley of ballads sold more than 290,000 copies here in seven weeks, installing "Pure" at the top of Britain's classical music charts. (The album will be released in the United States on April 9.) Now, with Ms. Westenra signed up for a $4.5 million five-album contract, Decca may well be tingling with the feeling that salvation is nigh.

You can check out samples of Ms. Westerna's music at her web site. For those of you who are impatient, like me, you will be excited to know that the import version of 'Pure' is now shipping via Amazon.

Between 16 year-old soul singer Joss Stone and 16 year-old classical soprano Hayley Westenra , 1987 is proving to be a very good vintage for female vocalists!

-Tim