Hayley Westenra by Hayley Westenra Read Free Book Online

in a big film that involved a mixture of singing and acting – and that really appealed. I was still in my phase of wanting to be an actor, so, when they finally told me that I had not been given the part, I was really upset. When you're left waiting for so long, expectation builds and you start to imagine how the future might turn out in a particular way. Looking back on it now, though, I'm proud that everything didn't automatically go my way when I was younger. It's definitely good to make mistakes and have some knock-backs. I'm a firm believer that it's beneficial to be shaken up a bit because, if you have a really smooth ride all of the time, there's a danger that, when it really does matter, you might mess up.
    I've always learned from the little mistakes I've made and setbacks I've faced along the way. For example, I was taught
a valuable lesson when I was at the Talent Quest, where the music was so quiet that I couldn't hear it at the start of my song. Ever since, I've always insisted on a soundcheck first when I'm performing, just so that I can be sure of what's going on. I guess the whole journey taken by anyone who performs as a career is one big learning curve. Having knock-backs or being turned down for something you want is good for you. It builds your determination and it gives you an insight into how tough the real world can be.
    My first experience of being on a television programme came on the very popular kids' show What Now? It was way before I had made my CDs and I just happened to be one of the kids sitting in the crowd. I was thrilled to be chosen to take part in one of the on-screen competitions. Using only my mouth, I had to grab as many apples out of a bowl of water as I possibly could within a time limit. I was up against a boy of around my age and, frankly, competitive Hayley kicked in. I was a girl on a mission. There was no way on earth that I was going to allow him to beat me. The highlight of the show for me was sitting in the gunge tank and being covered from head to toe in brightly coloured sticky liquid. Crazily enough, this was my prize for winning the silly apple competition. The show is still as popular now as it ever was and Sophie can often be seen working in the background on the show as a telephone operator, answering the phones.
    My first big performance on television came a little later, as part of theMcDonald's Young Entertainers contest. I had a secret yearning to be part of the Super Troupe – a group of kids who were on the show each week performing song-and-dance routines. In fact, it was more than a yearning. To be honest, I was desperate to be one of them, as would any kid be who loved to perform. As I sat at home watching, it always looked as if they were having so much fun. It was my ultimate ambition at the time: as a Super
Troupe member, I would be on television each week; I would perform songs to the nation each week; and I would get to dress up for the cameras each week. To my mind, it was the height of cool. But there was one big problem: I lived in Christchurch on the South Island and the show came from Auckland on the North Island. Unfortunately for me, most of the television companies and the biggest shows were based in the wrong part of New Zealand. It was simply too far for me to travel.
    But there was a way that I could appear on the show. The Super Troupe might be on the show each week, but in reality, they were only the warm-up act to the main event: the televised talent competition. When the auditions for the show came to Christchurch, I leaped at the chance to give it a go. The first round of auditions was held in a village hall. It was not a particularly special venue and it didn't feel particularly 'showbiz', but there were a couple of cameras there filming everything we did.
    I was chosen to move on to the heats. This was where things started to take a distinctly more glitzy turn. Mum was determined that I would look my best. Sophie and I were friends with