Carly Paoli - Singing My Dreams
When someone as revered as legendary tenor José Carreras says he admires a singer ’ s “ voice , artistry and charisma ”, you know that person must be someone special . He was referring to Carly Paoli , the daughter of a Mansfield lorry driver who is about to become an opera superstar .
Carly has just released her first album , Singing My Dreams , which is unique in a number of ways : it features a duet with Carreras who rarely performs with anyone else ; Oscar-winning lyricist Don Black has penned a track specifically for Carly ; and the estate of the late American film composer James Horner gave her unprecedented permission to put lyrics to some of his music .
It ’ s an amazing rise to prominence for a confident , well-spoken , personable young woman who had a dream at the age of nine that she wanted to be a singer and virtually every step she has taken since then has propelled her towards a career in music .
It was fitting that someone who is destined for great things should invite me to meet her and her mum Tina over breakfast at the Dorchester in London at 9am on a Saturday morning .
In the hotel ’ s glitzy , delightful surroundings Carly recounted in a matter-of-fact way how she has worked with celebrated performers such as Andrea Bocelli , how the teacher who spotted her potential when she was nine is still a major influence on her career and how she owes so much to her parents .
She was really excited about the album which has taken three years to complete .
“ What ’ s special about it is most of the songs have already been performed live so I ’ ve had a real audience reaction to the music which makes it very different when you go into a recording studio – the songs have had chance to grow . So there ’ s a much deeper emotion and connection with each song .”
The track En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor is a duet with Carreras who also said she “ is a wonderful person to work with ” and “ it ’ s a pleasure for me to sing with her .”
The sentiments are reciprocated by Carly who says recording with the Spanish tenor in his home town Barcelona was a “ huge honour ”.
“ We had a lot of fun that day . His nephew was the conductor for this piece . I suppose they were as bad as each other – I kept thinking to myself ‘ gosh , he seems agitated today , I wonder what ’ s wrong ?’ And then I found out it was because Barcelona and Real Madrid were about to play and he wanted to make sure he got his vocals down before the football match started . Very cheeky .”
Carly says Singing My Dreams is not just a classical album and there is lots of crossover music on it .
“ The song selection is very much driven by me . As a child my musical influences were Judy Garland and Gene Kelly and that ’ s what made me want to sing and be on stage . So I feel with this album I ’ ve been able to put in little elements of each part that I love about music .
“ I love music to inspire . Some of my favourite songs are Michael Jackson ’ s Will You Be There and Man In The Mirror . I think they tell such an amazing story that leaves an impression on the listener .
“ Each of my songs tells a story . Lyrics are primarily the thing that draws me to a song . I love lyrics and I love each word to be coloured differently . With the classical element I think that gives an added touch of drama that makes the hairs stand up on your arms . It takes your breath away because it ’ s something unexpected .”
People who say they don ’ t like classical music may be surprised at some of the tracks on Carly ’ s album . She says you have to listen to it with an open mind because each song is different .
After Loving You was written by Don Black – “ he ’ s a legend ,” says Carly .
“ He ’ s written some of the most magnificent lyrics in history and this song is in the style of James Bond , so it ’ s got a huge brass section at the beginning in the style that Dame Shirley Bassey began her songs , but then the middle section is completely different .
“ I wrote the lyrics to Memory Of You when I lost my grandmother three years ago . My producer Romano Musumarra created a beautiful arrangement of James Horner ’ s music from the film Legends of the Fall which features Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins .
“ It ’ s a song that I always loved , so when I wrote the lyrics it was the first melody that came into my head during a flight home from Italy .
“ I had what I call a small miracle when I wrote to the James Horner estate because very tragically he was killed in a plane accident two years ago . So I sent the lyrics and a personal letter to his family . They agreed that the song could be on my album which is a huge honour because it means so much to me .
“ I work very closely with my producer Romano – we know each other inside out . The album ’ s taken three years to come together so there ’ s been lots of experimentation with different music and we ’ ve found each time the right route for each song . It ’ s been completely tailored to suit my voice which is a huge privilege as a singer .”
Carly Paoli was born on 28 January 1989 in Mansfield . Dad Paul is a lorry driver and mum Tina worked for a travel agent . Carly spent summers in Puglia , Italy where her grandfather and extended family live .
She studied at the Rodney School for Performing Arts and the Tring Park School for Performing Arts . Describing herself as a “ real Christian ”, Carly says it was God ’ s plan that when she was nine she met vocal coach Liz Hetherington . Carly and Liz , formerly a professional singer with Glyndebourne and New Sadler ’ s Wells Opera , are still together . “ I truly believe she made me the singer I am today ,” says Carly .
Hopefully the time is now ripe for mezzo-soprano Carly to be appreciated
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