HomeMusicLucy Kay interview

Lucy Kay interview

Lucy Kay is the classically-trained soprano, who came second on Britain’s Got Talent 2014. From the moment she opened her lungs up on-stage, the judges and the audience alike fell in love with her magical voice and seeing her ethereal beauty and 1940’s inspired on-stage look brought the complete package together.

Lucy’s ambition was always to be a commercial classical singer. Thanks to her success on Britain’s Got Talent, which occurred shortly after her graduation, this has now turned her dream into reality. Lucy is about to release her debut album, Fantasia. We have had a sneak preview of the album and we can safely say that it’s absolutely stunning.

Lucy has been very open about the fact that she was bullied in school and is keen to promote anti-bullying campaign and is training to support others who are bullied, by working with charities such as the Anti Bullying Pro, which is part of The Diana Award group of charities.

We caught up with Lucy to find out a lot more about her and found out some things which may surprise you! Read on, to find out more.

Hi Lucy! Can you tell us about when you first started to sing?

I was seven years old when my Dad left and I took that to heart, as children do and I was an unhappy child, but I moved to a new area and I found it hard to make friends. My Mum said to me: “I need to see you happy and to smile again, we need to find a hobby for you”. So I told my Mum that I wanted to sing and she enrolled me on to signing lessons.

Who did you look up to in those early years, when you first started to learn about music and classical music in particular?

I saw Charlotte Church on TV and that was it for me, I based everything on her and thought that is who I wanted to be like.

Do you remember what it was like auditioning for Cantamus, the local girls’ choir you joined when you were eight years old?

I remember my audition as if it was yesterday. I sang Pie Iesu from the CD/book that Charlotte had out. I also had to do a reading, mine was James and the Giant Peach and I got through it and got through the rest of the audition and they asked me to join the choir.

You were a soloist when the choir was named ‘Olympic Champion Choir’ at the World Choir Olympics in China in 2006. What was that experience like?

That was my first ever tour and I’d never even been on a plane before and the trip was 16 hours, I was so scared! But it was an amazing experience and in the end, we were like a little family. There were 45 girls in total.

You came second on Britain’s Got Talent 2014. How did you find the experience of being on the show?

It helped me to be more confident with people, as I was singing on my own, as a solo act. One of the first people I met there was Collabro and they were really nice to me. It has made me a more confident person, as each day and week went on, especially the live shows, I really believed in myself and felt a lot more confident all round.

What are your thoughts before you go on stage? 

I’m a nervous wreck! I love to sing, but I have this fear and my worry is are the people going to like me, are they going to like the songs? But once I’m on stage and sing the first note, I settle completely and I go in to a complete trance and come in to my own and I don’t worry about it at all. I love it and get lost in the moment. I see colours when I sing and the tones become flashes of colours, in certain pieces I see bits of white and red, I connect to the music, but it’s a little weird to try and explain! haha.

What were your thoughts before you auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent?

When I did the audition, I knew that it was for a TV programme and what was going through my mind was that if I did anything wrong, it would be there for life, that was the worst thing. I couldn’t eat before going on and I was terrified! On the first episode that I was in, 12 million people tuned in, so I’m glad it went OK.

What did you think of the judges? They seemed to love you from the start.

I wasn’t expecting that at all! Then I saw Simon Cowell winking at me, and I was wondering do I wink back? I always wondered what he’d say to me and imagined what it would be like. But when I was actually there, it didn’t feel real and also, I didn’t have my glasses on, so I couldn’t see properly and the lights were shining  down. I don’t watch myself back very often, but one day I did and I watched it back and then it sunk in that I had actually done it.

Have you got to know the judges a little better since being on the show?

Amanda Holden and David Walliams were at Samuel. L.Jackson’s charity event the other week and I was there, so it was lovely to see them. Amanda Holden is so nice, I mean not just nice, but absolutely lovely. David Walliams is this man that everyone adores and he’s so funny, he’s just like he is on the cameras.

Collabro won BGT – and they have the same style of music, as they do operatic songs, do you think you’ll work together in the future?

Yes, we’re actually going on tour January-March 2015 and hopefully we will get a chance to collaborate, which seems fitting, given their name! I can also sing musical theatre, so it would be good to mix it up a bit. We’re really good friends too, I’m closest to Jamie and Matt and we text each other all the time. It’s going to be so much fun! Matt is planning on doing a lot of pranks, he’s a bit naughty, but I’ve told him to keep me out of it!

We hear that you’re a big fan of the burlesque-dancer/model Dita von Teese, what do you like about her?

I love her timeless, elegant look that she has in and also outside her work. I’ve been reading books on her and the regimes that she goes through to get her look. Her body is something that people look at, her temple, whereas mine is my voice. She sticks to this strict diet, she doesn’t eat sweet stuff, doesn’t go out in the sun much and it inspires me, as I haven’t got great willpower at times. Her style is so beautiful, I’m besotted with her and I never thought I’d get that excited over someone in the public eye. When I do events, I like to dress in the 1940’s style, I’m in awe of her dedication.

You’re about to launch your debut album – Fantasia, which is out at the end of the month, what can people expect from the album?

I’m hoping they like it. I’m done more of an operatic album , there is a lot of Puccini in there and songs or composers that people haven’t heard before, or maybe they’ve heard them on an advert and not realised who they are. This is why I feel I’m a bit different, for example I haven’t seen Katherine Jenkins or Charlotte Church release an album that is fully operatic and that’s what I’m trying to get people in to. I love going to the Opera and my favourite is Madame Butterfly, a lot of the album is in a foreign language, but I’m hoping that people can connect to the emotions in the song.

You’ve been very open about being bullied, but also of showing people who are being bullied – how to overcome that and being someone that they can now look up to. Can you tell us a little about this?

I support the Diana Award and I’m training to be an embassador for anti-bullying, it’s so important as a lot o children stay silent, which is what I did in the beginning. My thing is, that you’re in school for a very long time and if you’re terrified of going in, or not happy – then what kind of life is that? Children are our future and it needs to be instilled in schools.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

A lot of promoting the album, I’ve got a few TV show appearance. It depends on how well the album sells too, I guess. I’ve got a big gig coming up at the Royal Albert Hall with Songs of Praise and Katherine Jenkins will be performing also.

What is your ultimate goal?

I would love to work with Andrea Bocelli. I just think he’s so amazing. He feels the passion in all of his songs and it’s mesmerising. Also Andre Rieu, I’d like to be a part of his live shows and the amazing orchestra.

Tell us something about yourself that may surprise us? 

I’m a heavy-metal fanatic! I love Pantera, Metallica, all the stuff that is real, I go to a lot of gigs with my boyfriend and that’s my release. I like to go to a rock or metal concert and rock out, I love it. I’d like to collaborate with a rock band like the Foo Fighters. I believe that we should push boundaries and do something that hasn’t been done before.

Lucy Kay’s debut album Fantasia, will be released on September 29th 2014. Watch Lucy singing Habanera below:

Carys Jones
Carys Jones
I am passionate about everything any anything that involves music, theatre and the arts! I love interviewing artists and getting to learn more about them. When I’m not doing artsy things, you may find me watching rugby, singing with my choir and travelling to a new part of the world. Carpe diem.

Must Read

Advertisement