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Tayla Alexander

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Tayla Alexander
Tayla Alexander at home
Tayla Alexander at home
Background information
Birth nameTayla Alexander
Born (2000-12-30) 30 December 2000 (age 23)
Durban, South Africa
GenresOpera and classical music
InstrumentSinging
Years active2012–present
LabelsIndependent

Tayla Alexander (born 30 December 2000) is a New Zealand singer[1] who has been hailed as an up-and-coming opera star by New Zealand media.[2] Tayla's debut album Songbird charted in the top 10 on both the Independent Music New Zealand Album charts (IMNZ), and the New Zealand Music Charts, making her the youngest artist to appear on the New Zealand music charts.[3][4][5]

Covering opera, classical and easy listening genres, Tayla has performed songs in English, Italian, Chinese and Maori.

Tayla has performed for dignitaries around New Zealand, including Dame Malvina Major, Prime Minister John Key and Sir Peter Leitch.

Early life

[edit]

Tayla was born in South Africa but moved to Auckland, New Zealand at six months old, when her family emigrated.[6]

Tayla began singing at the age of four. She has been a regular competitor in Auckland-based singing contests The North Shore Performing Arts Competition[7] and Opera Idol.

At just 11 years of age she was signed to an independent music label. Three years later, Tayla won the 2014 Judges Special Award in the North Harbour Club AIMES Awards, which recognise young achievers across a range of field.[8][9] Previous AIMES award winners include Lorde.[10]

In 2017 Tayla became the youngest scholarship student ever to train at the Auckland Opera Studio[11] where former students include Sol3 Mio brothers Pene and Amitai Pat. She is currently tutored by Frances Wilson ONZM.[12]

She attended school at Long Bay College on Auckland's North Shore,[3] and is studying music, majoring in Classical Voice, at the University of Waikato, after gaining an excellence in NCEA[13] and receiving a $30,000 Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship.[14] The Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship Programme[15] is a scholarship for University of Waikato students showing leadership capabilities, academic excellence and achievements in sport or creative and performing arts, and is designed to foster future leaders, within the values of New Zealand's greatest explorer, Sir Edmund Hillary.

Career

[edit]

Songbird was produced by Bruce Lynch, who has worked with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. Her debut album, Songbird was released in the New Zealand market in November 2012.

In November 2012, around the time of the album's release, Tayla performed two songs from the album, "Hine e Hine" and "A Child Is Born", on TVNZ's Good Morning breakfast program.[16]

Tayla was selected to sing at the 19th annual Christmas in the Park at the Auckland Domain in Auckland, New Zealand in December 2012. She sang "Pie Jesu" to a crowd of more than 200,000.[17] Highlights were broadcast on TV 3.[18]

In February 2013, for the second year in a row, Tayla sang at the 2013 New Zealander of the Year Awards.[4]

In April 2013, Tayla was given the opportunity to perform in front of Dame Malvina Major at a masterclass workshop in Hamilton.

As part of a New Zealand Music Month series, TVNZ's current affairs program Seven Sharp filmed a feature story on Tayla which aired nationally in May 2013.[19]

In September 2013, Tayla was approached by Disney Channel Australia New Zealand to film a feature for the network's This Is Who I Am segment. Filming took place at Tayla's family home and at Takapuna's Bruce Mason Centre.[20][21][22]

To promote the release of her two new singles, TVNZ's Good Morning invited Tayla to perform Maori love song "Pokerekere Ana" on the show in November 2013.[23]

In 2014, Tayla backed a New Zealand-wide anti-bullying initiative, Beef With Bullies, after going public with her experience of being bullied at school and online.[24]

She has released a number of music videos, covering songs including A Time for Us and Nella Fantasia – arranged by Carl Doy – Dark Waltz and Fields of Gold, with her music available on Apple Music and Reverbnation, and has been interviewed on United States radio station KITC FM 106.5.[25] Her 2015 collaboration with Swedish soprano Viktoria Tocca on Do You Hear What I Hear was picked up on radio in Europe, the United States, South Africa, Hong Kong and Australia.[13]

In 2017 Tayla performed as a featured soloist for the Auckland Youth Orchestra's Baroque concert in 2017.[26][non-primary source needed][27]

Her performance with the Auckland Youth Orchestra of Handle's Lascia Chi’o pianga was recognized by the For Those Who Love Opera Facebook page, which is followed by more than 280,000 people, with For Those Who Love Opera sharing her work.[28][non-primary source needed] Later that year she also featured in the Auckland Opera Studio's Winter Series at the Sculptureum in Matakana.[29] The series highlighted rising stars on the opera scene.

In 2017 she was again profiled on TVNZ current affairs program Seven Sharp.[30][31][non-primary source needed][32]

Her version of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights was picked up by a German radio station in May 2018,[33] with her YouTube video of the song topping more than one million views in early 2019.[14][34]

In 2019 she further expanded her repertoire, launching a YouTube vlog, detailing her experiences of 'adulting' including moving out of home, going to university and achieving the scholarships.[14] In January 2019, she spoke frankly in an interview on Radio Live about the challenges of NCEA and her winning of the Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship.[13]

Reception

[edit]

Dame Malvina Major has said Tayla is a promising talent who, with her strong determination, could have a strong career in opera.[6] Carl Doy, who collaborated with Tayla on Wuthering Heights has described her as an 'extraordinary talent'[33] while guitarist Gray Bartlett, who collaborated with Tayla on her 2019 version of Make You Feel My Love,[35] says she is 'on the verge of worldwide recognition'.[14]

Discography

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Studio albums

[edit]
Album Album details Charts Certifications
(sales thresholds)
IMNZ[36]
Songbird
  • Released: November 2012
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: CD, Digital download
 10 –

Studio singles

[edit]

You Raise Me Up, featuring Nick Jones

  • Released: February 2013
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download

Hallelujah

You Needed Me

  • Released: November 2013
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: CD, Digital download

Nelly Fantasia

Air on the G String

  • Released September 2015
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download

Do You Hear What I Hear – collaboration on Viktoria Tocca's Merry Christmas EP

  • Released November 2015
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download

Fields of Gold – with Gray Bartlett

  • Released January 2016
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download

A Time for Us (Love theme)

  • Released June 2017
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download

Rinaldo, HWV 7a: Lascia ch'io pianga (Live and featuring the Auckland Youth Orchestra)

  • Released May 2018
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download

Wuthering Heights, featuring Hadley Ronayne

  • Released May 2018
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download

Make You Feel My Love, with Gray Bartlett

  • Released January 2019
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download

Television appearances

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Russell, Rachael (January 2013). "Ones to Watch". Next. Auckalnd.
  2. ^ "'I was the fat girl' – talented young Kiwi opera star found her confidence on the stage". 1News Now. n.d.
  3. ^ a b "Twelve-Year-Old Auckland Singer Youngest NZer on Kiwi Charts". Scoop. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  4. ^ a b Hallahan, Marnie (29 January 2013). "Songbird creates record". North Shore Times. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  5. ^ "Top 20 New Zealand Albums Chart". The Official NZ Music Charts. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  6. ^ a b Harwood, Sascha (21 July 2013). "Captivating voice likely to rule stage". Sunday Star Times. Auckland.
  7. ^ "Superstar soprano in the making". Stuff (company). n.d.
  8. ^ "North Harbour Club 2015 AIMES Awards winners" (PDF). northharbourclub.co.nz. n.d.
  9. ^ "Catching up with Tayla Alexander – SInger". NorthsideLive.co.nz. n.d.
  10. ^ "AIMES awards open new category for North Shore youth". Stuff (company). n.d.
  11. ^ "Tayla Alexander – Soprano". AucklandOperaStudio.co.nz. n.d.
  12. ^ "Queen's Birthday Honours 2017: Full list revealed". The New Zealand Herald. 4 June 2017. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  13. ^ a b c Radio Live Interview with Tayla Alexander, retrieved 18 February 2019
  14. ^ a b c d "Sowing seeds of success: One million views, a $30,000 scholarship and excellence endorsement". 15 January 2019. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship Programme – University of Waikato". waikato.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Tayla Alexander first LIVE TV Performance and Interview". 25 November 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2014 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ "Record breaking NZ songbird". Voxy. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  18. ^ Fuseworks Media (14 November 2013). "Line-up announced for Auckland's Christmas in the Park". Voxy. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  19. ^ "A voice beyond her age". Seven Sharp. TVNZ. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  20. ^ "Tayla Alexander, Disney Channel " This is Who I Am" segment". 16 December 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Young soprano makes Disney debut". Stuff (company). n.d.
  22. ^ "Young soprano living a Disney dream". The New Zealand Herald. n.d.
  23. ^ "Pokarekare Ana , Tayla Alexander, [ 12yo] , Live on TVNZ Good Morning". 25 November 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "Singer backs anti-bullying campaign". The New Zealand Herald. n.d.
  25. ^ KITCFM Interview with Tayla Alexander, Kiwi Songbird with Becky, retrieved 28 February 2018
  26. ^ "Auckland Youth Orchestra". facebook.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  27. ^ AYO Manager (5 February 2017), Auckland Youth Orchestra #Baroque 2017, retrieved 28 February 2018
  28. ^ "Facebook – For Those Who Love Opera". n.d.
  29. ^ "Local Matters – Rising opera stars will figure in Winter Series". localmatters.co.nz. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  30. ^ "Seven Sharp – 'I was the fat girl' – talented young Kiwi opera star found her confidence on the stage". Seven Sharp. n.d.
  31. ^ "Seven Sharp". facebook.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  32. ^ "'I was the fat girl' – talented young Kiwi opera star found her confidence on the stage". TVNZ. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  33. ^ a b "Teen opera singer picked up by German radio station". Stuff. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  34. ^ "18岁奥克兰姑娘的新年硕果累累 成功的种子早已播下". 新西兰先驱报中文网 (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  35. ^ Make You Feel My Love (feat. Gray Bartlett) – Single by Tayla Alexander, retrieved 18 February 2019
  36. ^ "Top 20 Albums: IMNZ Charts to December 6". Independent Music NZ Inc. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
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