Becky Jane Taylor
Becky Jane Taylor has been hailed as one of the brightest classical crossover talents. While some have compared her vocal tone to Celine Dion others hear the richness of the legendary Barbara Streisand.
Becky's ability to sing was recognised very early in her life. Her family were amongst her first fans who would ask for a recital every Sunday when they gathered at Becky's Grandmother's house. Becky, a somewhat shy five year old could not understand what all the fuss was about but gave her enthusiastic fans what they asked for under one condition…she would sing from behind an armchair, a bush in the garden, or even from another room so she didn't have to see them.
It was the thrill of theatre that exposed Becky to the idea of a life as a singer. After seeing Les Miserables in the West End, she begged her parents to let her audition for the musical and at six years old, appeared on stage as the part of young Eponine. Becky made her first television appearance as a singer on Blue Peter three years later.
By the age of 11, Becky's talent was known by many in her village and she would often be called upon to perform at local events and weddings. It was an audience member at one of the weddings who encouraged Becky's father to send a demo CD to a record label. The label of choice was EMI Records.
Becky was signed to EMI Classics at the age of 12 and remains the youngest singer ever signed to the label. Her debut album A Dream Come True was released in 2001 and enjoyed international success. In the same year she sang at the Farm Aid benefit gala concert (in aid of farmers who were affected by the foot and mouth crisis) at the Royal Albert Hall which was attended by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Becky's performance of Once upon a December stole the show and led critics to hail her as a massive new talent. Becky's second album By Your Side was released in 2006.
Throughout her career, Becky has toured in the US, the Far East and Asia as well as performing widely in the UK. Over the years Becky has performed with a diverse range of artists from Jose Carreras and Andre Rieu to Katie Melua. In 2005 she performed at the Last Night of the Audley End and Kenwood Proms with Tenor Wynne Evans and in 2006 joined a host of top Classical artists at the SOS Children Classic Response concert at the Royal Albert Hall. A year later she enjoyed the thrill and atmosphere of the FA Cup Final where she sang the traditional anthem Abide With Me with soprano Lesley Garrett.
In 2007, Becky made an executive decision to take a break from her career and study for a degree in History at Durham University. Becky's studies led her to specialise in late modern American history and Imperial Germany. Her final thesis examined the exploitation of African American rhythm and blues artists in the music industry during the Civil Rights Era.
Becky: 'one of the challenges I think young artists face is finding a way of making a smooth transition from child performer to adult. It can be very easy for anyone in the industry, especially a child, to lose sight of who they are or what they aspire to be. For me, stepping away for a few years helped me realise this and gave me cause to evaluate my musical direction.'
During this time Becky never lost sight her passion for music, appearing in numerous Opera and musical theatre productions in Durham city including Anita in West Side Story and Des'ree in A Little Night Music.
Becky was awarded a B.A last summer and is thrilled to be back in the studio recording new material. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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