Charlene Soraia Among the Stars

Charlene Soraia seemed destined for a career in music, having first started to learn to play guitar at the tenderage of 5.

“I picked up my dad’s guitar. I guess after seeing him play it I just wanted to emulate what he was doing. He used to play to me to keep me quiet! Three years later, aged eight, I did my first open mic session and by the age of 10 I was attending a variety of folk and jazz open mic’s. I was pretty confident in front of an audience which put me in good shape for what was to come.”

Born and raised in London, Charlene was inspired by artists like David Bowie, The Beatles and Pink Floyd and remains a fan of prog-rock to this day.

“I was a bit of strange little kid, finding Bowie at eight and then The Beatles at 10; not exactly what you might expect a child of the 90s to be listening to.”

She was accepted into the BRIT School of music alongside future artists Adele and Kate Nash and during this time formed a rock band called Retrospect and released an EP. By 2008 she began performing as a solo artist.

“My big break came when I was approached by Twinings to cover the hit song from The Calling, ‘Wherever You Will Go’. No one could have anticipated the response and with over 300,000 downloads the huge success led to the release of my debut album. Moonchild was brought forward to November 2011, ahead of the original February 2012 planned launch.

“I was so surprised by the reaction and know that Ihave been very lucky to be given the chance to release an album that I had so much creative control over.

“I’m still a bit ‘old school’ when it comes to albums and believe that they should be appreciated in their entirety. I know that the modern generation likes to pick and choose their tracks with the popularity of MP3s and iTunes but I think there is still something to be said for taking a body of work as a whole.”

So did she enjoy her newfound fame?

“I’ve never been interested in the fame. I’m just interested in the music.  Media recognition for me is a side product of success.

“Moonchild was completed almost two years ago and I am eager to push on to the next one. I have a string of solo dates lined up in February around the country and then I am doing another tour in April with a 3 piece so 2012 is certainly going to be a busy time for me.”

So what does Charlene like doing in any precious spare time?  The rising star actually enjoys star-gazing.  ““Astronomy is a big fascination for me. I love stargazing and have a telescope at home,” she says. 

“I also love cinema and love watching films. I like surreal movies like the Science of Sleep and I also like Japanese animation. I’m also quite content to be at home in front of the television watching an Attenborough documentary”

Charlene was 11 when she discovered she had synaesthesia and a whole different window on the world. After telling a friend she saw the first year of senior school in colours, the reaction made her keep quiet until she confided in her father and discovered he also saw colours when he heard music. He explained that this was a medical condition called synaesthesia. The condition takes different forms: involving colours, tastes or shapes linked to music or time periods. 

"For me Tuesdays are always yellow," says Soraia, "Mondays are white. And numbers have shapes.”

And with the number of albums she has been selling, perhaps that’s the shape of things to come – a really bright and colourful future.

We’re likely to hear a lot more about Charlene Soraia this year and if you want more information on this rising artist then visit her website on http://charlenesoraia.com

George R Vaughan
 

Women Talking would like to offer one lucky subscriber the chance to win two tickets from a gig of their choice for Charlene Soraia's Moonchild UK Band Tour in April.

To win all you need to do is answer the following question:

In which part of London was Charlene Soraia raised?

Send your answer to competitions@womentalking.co.uk ensuring you put the word Moonchid in the subject header and including your Women Talking username with the submission.

Finally you need to tell us your preference of gig should you win and the full list of Charlene Soraia's Moonchild UK Band Tour in April can be found on her website at http://charlenesoraia.com

This competition has now closed and the winner will be contacted shortly.

Entrants must be at least 16 years of age and the prize is non-transferable.

Posted Wed, 01/11/2012 - 19:19 by George Vaughan