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Hayley Westenra music biography continued...

Zealand, she was a musical prodigy and by age 11, she had performed more than 40 times on stage. At 12, Westenra recorded Walking in the Air, a demo album that she promoted and sold on the streets of Christchurch. A TV executive heard her perform and put her on the air, which led to a record deal with Universal New Zealand. On that label, Westenra released a self-titled album of show tunes and light classical songs, as well as My Gift to You, a CD of Christmas music. Both albums were a big success in New Zealand, but Westenra wouldn't break out internationally until she signed with Decca Records and recorded Pure, a CD of classical, light pop and traditional Maori songs released worldwide in 2004. Pure enjoyed record success: it became the fastest-selling international debut album in the history of the UK classical charts, and was a smash throughout Europe and the U.S., not mention her native New Zealand. A worldwide tour in support of the album, brought even more acclaim, as Westenra performed before Her Majesty, The Queen, and President Bush, as well of thousands of regular fans. Westenra followed up in 2005 with Odyssey, a mix of classical, pop, Celtic, and new age music, on which she co-wrote and arranged several tracks, adding the title of composer to her many credits.



In August 2006, Westenra joined Celtic Woman and was featured on their second major DVD/CD album, Celtic Woman: A New Journey, which was released in January 2007 and immediately hit the Billboard Top 200 music chart at #4. She toured with the group in United States in 2007, with scheduled appearances in 88 venues across the country; the tour ended in June of the same year. Westenra's third international album, Treasure, was released in February 2007 in the UK. All the songs on this CD were chosen by Westenra herself, signifying the clout that she now had in the industry. In between performing and recording, Westenra has also found the time to become the youngest UNICEF Ambassador ever, demonstrating that success and good deeds can go hand in hand.