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In Conversation

02 December 2008 03:06 BST

Natasha Marsh: Collaborating with Keane would be a dream

Rising British opera singer Natasha Marsh's elegant voice supplied the soundtrack to this summer's Euro 2008 coverage on ITV as she sung the stirring signature tune entitled Queen Of The Night.

inthenews.co.uk's Lee Davis spoke to the sparky soprano on the eve of the release of her new album about her love for double decker chocolate bars, football and music.

Natasha Marsh's eponymous new album is the follow-up to her successful debut called Amour and was put together at the famous Abbey Road studios in London.

Said Natasha of working at the renowned studios: "A lot of it was recorded at Abbey Road which was brilliant.

"I was like a rabbit caught in the headlights at the beginning thinking 'Oh my god, all these legends are around me and how am I going to handle it?'

"But once you get lost in the music you forget where you are plus they stock the fridges with Double Deckers, my favourite chocolate bar in the world, it was brilliant. I just wolfed them down."

The new album has been produced by Craig Leon, whom Natasha has worked with before and she said that he creates great soundscapes.

These soundscapes have a cinematic quality to them to which Natasha said: "Yeah, I love all that romantic atmosphere."

The album boasts a great collection of popular classics ranging from the Euro 2008 theme Queen Of The Night, an aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute through to a superb duet with Alfie Boe on Brindisi.

Natasha has her own favourite tracks on the LP. She said: "I loved singing Il Postino and Autumn Leaves, I loved recording that.

"For some reason, it completely choked me up because the words are just amazing. So yeah, they’re definitely in my heart, those two tracks."

There's a number of duets on Natasha’s new album which sees her teaming up with the aforementioned Alfie Boe, Blake on O Holy Night and Gardar Cortes on The Prayer.

She said: "Yeah, they were great. I had a real ball, actually. It's lonely in the studio by yourself so it's great when there's another person in there with you.

"The Prayer is great. I'm really pleased with that. Gardar Cortes is such a nice guy. We had a real giggle."

Natasha's two albums are essentially similar as she explained: "To be honest, a lot of the new album is repackaged from the old.

"We rush-released this new album because I'm doing Euro 2008, and it was EMI who decided that while I was working on my second album to rush-release new tracks with some old tracks, so the album's a mix of both albums, actually."

Singing the signature tune for ITV's Euro 2008 coverage allows Natasha to combine her two passions – music and football.

The Watford supporter said that her father and brother also support the Hertfordshire club that once had Elton John as its chairman.

Said Natasha: "I grew up with it. It's definitely in the blood. From a young age my dad would always take me to Vicarage Road.

"My dad and brother are season ticket holders so they try to get there as much as possible."

Unfortunately, touring commitments have prevented Natasha from watching Euro 2008 until very recently. She said: "I've been away on tour so I was like 'Oh my god, it's on!'"

Earlier this year, the football-loving soprano performed at the Carling Cup Final and she was thrilled by the event.

"It was incredible. The tension was palpable in the tunnel with the players, just like an opening night in an opera, y'know. Everybody was nervous.

"Then you step out and the atmosphere was just incredible! Absolutely electric! There’s just so much passion," she said.

Natasha explained that football and opera share many traits. For example hitting a top note while singing has that same sense of elation as scoring a goal. Said Natasha: "You get, y'know, the goosebumps."

Opera singers and footballers also need self-discipline when it comes to training and preparation.

Natasha said: "You've really got to love what you do and your life choices have to be supportive of what you do.

"A lot of people avoid dairy products and drink loads of water, but I don't drink before a performance or the night before."

With a giggle, Natasha added: "Although I make sure I make up for it afterwards...

"But, yeah, generally keeping your voice in absolutely tip-top shape. Make sure you constantly get singing lessons.

"It's a really big commitment but very rewarding, but you can't get out of condition.

"The longer I leave it than a week and a half, and the voice is out of shape. And the pressure, you've got two hours to nail a performance and you've got to deliver because people are expecting it," she said.

Many artists suffer nerves before performing and Natasha is no different. On the subject of getting the jitters she said it affects her on the opening night of a show.

"You have a new repertoire and you don't know how it's going to go down so that's often nerve-wracking.

"But once you're in the thick of it, it's great. The best job in the world. I love it!"

Natasha's been singing since she was a child and comes from a musical family, as she said: "It's definitely in the blood."

In terms of what's next for Natasha, she said how much she has enjoyed the past year.

"It's been totally eclectic. The mix of things; doing a load of hardcore opera in very core classical circumstances quite straight, and then rock 'n' roll gigs where people come along with their picnics, and bring their grans and nans. I love the mix of everything.

"I definitely want to carry on meeting new people and audiences, and also working with new musicians and new artists.

"There's so many incredible people out there. So, yeah, I'd definitely like to keep meeting new talent."

In these days of musical crossovers with Charlotte Church, Russell Watson and Il Divo straddling pop, opera and classical would Natasha be tempted to go down this route?

She said with a smile: "Do a Charlotte Church and go all rock 'n' roll? I'd probably have to go fagging loads and boozing.

"On the next album there's definitely going to be loads of contemporary tracks but it's going to be in a way that's accessible.

"I'm not going to try and sing like Whitney Houston because I know I can't. So tasteful, I think, is the word, but it's great; it's so liberating for me to do that stuff."

Natasha's musical heroes stem from the worlds of pop and opera. She cited Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross from the former and from opera, she said: "Renee Fleming, she's an incredible singer. Pavarotti – you can't go wrong with that.

"To be honest, I don't listen to opera when I'm not performing, it's too much like doing homework."

When she's not performing or recording, Natasha relaxes with long Sunday walks and a pub lunch.

"I love walking through hills or by water; just catching up with friends and family around a table with a bottle of wine. Just chilling out, y'know," she said.

The soprano has toured with pop-opera crossover stars Il Divo and she had a great time on their whirlwind travels around the globe.

She said: "It was mad, it was fab. I loved it! I was literally in a different country every day.

"It was great and the venues were huge and all sold out. It was great performing for so many people, thousands of people.

"And the guys were great but suffered from women following them all over the world. At every airport we turned up at you'd get hundreds of women screaming, and I was always the one at the back going 'I'll see you in a minute then, guys?!'"

Natasha enjoys touring but loves getting back to a normal existence, as she said: "I've just got back from a very long tour, I'd love to go to the pub on Sunday!

"I've just been touring with Paul Potts, the guy who won Britain's Got Talent. That finished last week so I'm adjusting to real life again. Y'know, like putting the kettle on, I've missed that."

As well as a raft of upcoming UK concerts, Natasha has an eye on possible musical collaborations.

She said: "I love the guy who writes for Keane, Tim Rice-Oxley. He's amazing, I'd love to work with him.

"Have him write something for my voice. I just think he's an incredible songwriter. Also, Sting would be amazing. Michael Buble would be awesome – I love him! He sings so well."

Returning to opera, Natasha has played a number of roles, however, her favourite is that of the firebrand Musetta in La Boheme.

"I loved playing in La Boheme. Musetta is a man-eater; a minx who likes to throw her weight around.

"She's got a very fiery Latino temperament. Basically, everything I'm not! So it was really great, liberating to strut my stuff on a grand stage and she's got some great arias to sing."

Lee Davis

To read the inthenews.co.uk review of Natasha Marsh's new album, click here