1. B
orn in Cardiff in 1986,
and being the niece
of cabaret singer
Caroline Cooper,
Charlotte has singing in the
blood. Her natural talent was
first displayed at the age of three
when she sang the Ghostbusters
theme tune with her sister Elisha
at a holiday camp. Charlotte
explains, “When we’d finished,
she left the stage but I refused
to go. They had to drag me off!”
Clearly the starlet knew where
she belonged!
A few years later, aged 11,
the young soprano first became
known to the public when she
sang Pie Jesu on The Big Big
Talent Show. This was Charlotte’s
big break, and following
her beautiful rendition of the
Andrew Lloyd Webber classic,
she was invited to perform live
on programmes such as This
Morning and even The Late
Show and The MTV Awards
across the pond.
Overnight the young classical
singer became a sensation,
particularly in her home country,
Wales. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t
long before Charlotte had
a manager — impresario
Jonathan Shalit took on the role
and soon signed her to Sony
Music. Under Shalit’s guidance,
Charlotte released three albums.
The first of these, entitled Voice
of an Angel, saw her become
the youngest person to take the
no 1 spot in the classical album
charts at the age of 12. The
debut album also went double
platinum in the UK and gold in
America, Australia, New Zealand
and Hong Kong.
With such an early success
under her belt, there was no
stopping Charlotte. Her second,
eponymous, album was
released a year later.
Following this, Charlotte’s
partnership with Shalit ended
and her mother became
her new manager.
However, her contract with
Sony was retained, and in 2000
VoiceofanAngel
With her first album
going double platinum
in 1998, Charlotte
Church’s singing career
has already spanned
18 years, and she’s
only 30!
By Fiona Day
36
Charlotte singing at the
Voice of a Nation concert (1999)
1 Who presented The Big Big Talent Show when
Charlotte appeared on it?
2 Which other Welsh diva’s concert did Charlotte
open in Antwerp in 1997?
3 What was the name of the 2010 TV show on
which Charlotte was on the judging panel?
4 In what year did Charlotte appear on
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year?
5 Which birthday was Charlotte celebrating when
her official fan site was launched?
6 Charlotte can speak Welsh – true or false?
7 Charlotte featured in an advert for which
car company?
8 What is Charlotte’s best-selling album?
9 What is the name of Charlotte’s current boyfriend,
who is also a musician?
10 Which men’s magazine crowned Charlotte
‘Woman of the Year’ in 2005?
ANSWERS—1.JonathanRoss;2.ShirleyBassey;3.OvertheRainbow;
4.2005;5.14th;6.False;7.Ford;8.CharlotteChurch;9.JonathanPowell;10.GQ

2. Photos:RexFeatures/Getty
37
Charlotte released her third
classical album, Dream a Dream.
In the same year, the first
Classic BRIT Awards were
launched, and Charlotte won
Artist of the Year.
In 2001, the child sensation’s
success was reflected in the
fact that the audience at
the GRAMMY Awards sang
Happy Birthday to her; a treat
that not many 15-year-olds can
lay claim to! Later that year
Charlotte’s final classical album,
Enchantment, went on sale.
Having released four albums
in four years, the soprano took
a break from classical singing
to work on her first pop album.
Tissues and Issues was released
in 2005 and included the single
Crazy Chick, which peaked at
no 2 in the UK chart.
In a second diversion from
classical singing, Charlotte took to
presenting: The Charlotte Church
Show ran from 2006 to 2008.
During this time, and still only
21 years old, Charlotte had her
first baby with her boyfriend
of the time, Welsh rugby
star Gavin Henson. Their
second child was born in
2008, but sadly Charlotte
and Gavin’s relationship
ended in 2010, although
the pair insist that they
remain friends.
Following the break-up,
Charlotte self-released
her sixth album,
Back to Scratch.
Now, Charlotte is
still releasing music,
although mostly of
a pop persuasion
rather than classical.
She has also
recently starred
alongside Rhys Ifans
in a film adaption of
the Dylan Thomas
radio play Under
Milk Wood, which
was in cinemas in
October 2015, as well
as being an outspoken
activist for climate change
and media standards.
Having performed in
front of the Queen and
Prince Charles, politicians
such as Tony Blair and
Bill Clinton, and even Pope
John Paul II, Charlotte has
an incredibly impressive
collection of accolades
not only in the music
industry but also in
film, politics and TV.
Not bad for someone
only born in 1986!
“There was never
a time when I
wasn’t singing.”
Photos:RexFeatures/Getty
3737
second child was born in
2008, but sadly Charlotte
and Gavin’s relationship
ended in 2010, although
the pair insist that they
Following the break-up,
Charlotte self-released
Now, Charlotte is
still releasing music,
although mostly of
rather than classical.
alongside Rhys Ifans
in a film adaption of
, which
October 2015, as well
as being an outspoken
activist for climate change
and media standards.
Having performed in
front of the Queen and
Prince Charles, politicians
such as Tony Blair and
Bill Clinton, and even Pope
John Paul II, Charlotte has
an incredibly impressive
collection of accolades
not only in the music
industry but also in
film, politics and TV.
Not bad for someone
only born in 1986!
Cover
Story
After performing in
Brighton (2012)