NE AOTY 2021 Hayley McKay

[Hayley McKay] [Hayley McKay]

The storied, and wonderful rise, of a northern country angel The name Hayley McKay, long associated with that of the Darlington Forum Music Centre, is also one that has been synonymous with that of country music in her native north-east, for many years now. Performing at venues like Sage Gateshead, the Durham Gala Theatre, with consummate ease, is second nature to one whose voice is as angelic as can be. She never disappoints, irrespective of where she’s performing. She is also, always, wanting to achieve more with her music, rightly so as well. She’s even done quite a bit in her young life, has Miss McKay, and has a stacked resume to match; mind you, she did start out in the music and entertainment industry at a relatively young age, and hasn’t looked back since. Now, as she prepares for the release of her next single, yes, there’s yet another offering to come on the form of ‘Found Myself In A Song,’ scheduled for release later this year (see secondary feature). That however is the here and now, but where did all of this begin for the songstress who can melt a thousand hearts, well, it actually in musical theatre, and yes, there’s a touch of Marilyn Monroe about her – you’d expect no less. “Every Saturday my Mum (Allison McKay) would take me to Theatre Train, a performance club which was 3 hours of dancing, singing and acting,” began Hayley. “This was while we were living in London and I was about nineyears-old; I remember it well, and these years helped shape me as a performer and build confidence. “I was invited to play a young Marilyn Monroe, at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London when I was 9 and I had the day off school, my Mum would do my hair all bouncy and curly, and my family, from the North-East, came down to watch me.

“It was such a buzz to be onstage whilst my favourite songs to sing around this time were Fame, by Irene Cara, and Hero, by Mariah Carey. “Mum worked her way up in the hairdressing world in London and would often work with celebrities and models at home, and abroad. “Sometimes she’d be on television and I used to record it on the video recorder. “I would sometimes go to work with her and sing for the clients; apparently Ozzy Osbourne walked into the studio one day and said I was a very polite little girl.” And all this in her formative years; as we said, she’s had somewhat of a busy, a very busy, life, both in front of the public eye and behind the scenes. “When I was going into Year 5, at primary school, my family and I moved up north, which is where my parents are from, continued Hayley. “I carried on my musical theatre journey and went to Stagecoach Theatre Arts in Darlington which I absolutely loved (under the guidance of the Theatre Principal, Trudy Hindmarsh and I was given some great opportunities on stage. “One of those opportunities was to perform in opera’s Tosca and Turandot and La Boheme at Sunderland Empire Theatre. “I also performed a lot at school, and was always joining in school concerts and I think that more schools should do more music and arts. “It’s such a shame that it is the arts that always seems to get cut, when actually it is so important for people’s confidence and self-esteem.” For an individual whose life began on the stage, in a theatrical sense, Hayley would soon be seen to be taking on a differing persona, again whilst still young – she was in her mid-teens when music itself would take a firm hold and Miss McKay would be seen to her perform what would be her first, actual gig, with original music in tow. From that moment on however, Hayley has never looked back, continuing to astound the masses at every turn. Funding acceptance whilst in her late teens, would come from that of the Sammy Johnson Fund, it helping her to kick-start a career within the music industry (the funding allowed Hayley to record and work with producer Fred Purser at Trinity Heights, and Jamie Squire), soon seen to be wowing the masses on stage, when appearing at the iconic, ‘Sunday for Sammy,’ an occasion which would see her being introduced by non-other that the legendary actor, Tim Healy.

This, and more, all before she’d gone to college. “In my early teens I got my first guitar off my Uncle and Grandad, and had guitar lessons,” reminisced Hayley. “It was lovely because years later my guitar teacher, Simon O’Byrne, accompanied me on guitar when I was supporting Albert Lee at The Sage in Gateshead, and at The Lowry, Manchester. “I would often learn songs and sing them down the phone to my Grandad, and I started to enter singing competitions. “My first proper gig performing original music was at The Carling Academy, Newcastle, when I was 15, it was just me with my little guitar in between two rock bands. “Sunday for Sammy meanwhile, that was one of the most favourite nights of my life! “I sang ‘Over the Rainbow’ by Eva Cassidy and had a harpist and a choir backing me; the actor, Tim Healy introduced me, and I was on-stage with legends like Mark Knopfler, and members from Lindisfarne. “One of the first songs I remember listening to and loving growing up was ‘Run for Home,’ by Lindisfarne. “It was a surreal, pinch myself moment, when we all sang the song on stage together at the end of the concert. “A few years later and Ray Laidlaw, who was the drummer for Lindisfarne, offered me the fantastic opportunity to sing ‘Amazing Grace’ on the soundtrack for the film, Harrigan, starring Steven Tompkinson. “After college, I decided to take a year out to focus on gigging, and getting some money together to go to University. “I was actually torn between going down the musical theatre path, or the music path, then one day I got a phone call of my Aunty saying that there was a talent competition where the prize was £5000. “I ended up winning the whole thing; I remember the final being in Derby and the talent on show was fantastic.” Recent years have seen Hayley spending time in Brighton, at the BIMM (Brighton Institute of Modern Music) and London, they becoming a part of her everyday life, before heading back north again, to Darlington, and hitting the roads, racking up many more career highlights along the way, performing at Glastonbury, Lindisfarne and Hardwick Live, as well as venues including The Cavern Club, Liverpool, Durham’s Gala Theatre, and the Newcastle City Hall, whilst also supporting Sir Tom Jones, Martha Reeves, Scouting for Girls and Hazel O’Connor to name a few. “With that prize money, I decided to put it towards my tuition fees to study music at BIMM,” explained Hayley. “I loved being in Brighton, and it was such a creative place; I used to busk with my friend and meet loads of musicians whilst also running a popular, open mic night, which was fun. “After completing a year at BIMM I was introduced to a popular artist development course in London with Access to Music. “I made the move up to London and funded some of my travel by working as a singing waitress at Archers in Soho. We would wear polka dot dresses and get up on the tables and sing to requests. “At Access to Music I focused on

my own original music alongside peers including Jess Glynne who was also in my class. “Ed Sheeran had also done the same course as me but he was a year above and we never met; I remember seeing his portfolio and everything was orange so he was already cleverly thinking about branding.” Everybody though, and we mean everybody, has an influence or three on their life, be they personal, or familial, or professional, and that’s whether you be a musician or an actor, an athlete or a journalist. That influence can often be quite telling in what the individual does in their life. For Hayley, she has her influences also, both personally, and professionally. “I’ve grown up listening to most styles of music, in fact one of the first bands I was in was a reggae/ soul band,” divulged Hayley. “I also sang for a jazz band sometimes and that’s when I was introduced to artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, it was an amazing feeling to sing alongside the saxophone; and I’ve been in a bluegrass/country band where I was introduced to that of Allison Krauss and Union Station. “Over the years I have developed my own sound and that continues to evolve. I think at the end of the day it is all about the song no matter what genre. “My Grandma played folk music in the car when I was younger and I didn’t take much notice but now I really appreciate it, whilst also listening to that of Kate Bush, and Fleetwood Mac, with my own voice starting to become a bit more inventive and daring. “One of my favourite, all-time artists however, is Dolly Parton, because she has great melodies, great voice and I like her delivery when she sings her songs.” Above all however, there’s a famous quote, often well-used, and, in the case of Miss McKay, can be re-worded to that of – “you can take the girl out of Darlo, but you can’t take Darlo out of the girl.” Miss McKay is Darlington’s very own Queen of Country Music, and she almost certainly has the idyllic, voice of an angel to match. Interested in seeing the stunning, Miss Hayley McKay, in action, and hearing that stunningly beautiful voice for yourselves (highly recommended) then check out all her dates via https://www.hayleymckay.co.uk/tour-dates/ whilst she also has an upcoming, mini-tour, in Manchester, London, and Newcastle, later this year. That mini-tour, in association with Modern Age Music Roots, dates and tickets are available via the following - 10 November – Gulliver’s Manchester (with band) https://fatso. ma/UzuT 12 November - 229 Club, Venue 2, London (with band) https://fatso. ma/UzuY 3 December The Globe, Newcastle (with band) https://fatso.ma/Uzu3 Keep up-to-date with all things Hayley McKay via her website https://www.hayleymckay.co.uk/ and her socials on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hayleymckaymusic, Twitter https:// twitter.com/mckay_hayley, and Instagram https://www.instagram. com/hayleymckaymusic/

McKay continues to find herself in a song

As alluded to in this issues main feature, Miss McKay has a new single in the offing, one that, although penned last year with Nashville artist, Bill DiLuigi, an artist who has worked with many Stateside, alongside having numerous cuts on movies. Recorded at Mirage Studies, with John P. Taylor, the upcoming release, due late next month, was put together (with DiLuigi) over several zoom runs, during 2020. Containing a lot of personal thought and content, Hayley said of the track: “It is about me growing up, listening to music. “It opens with the line, ‘my little shoes on the bar at my grandma’s pub, I was the girl singing with the juke box something for everyone.’ “My Grandma was the best pub landlady ever and her pub was always full, and with it, full of so many, different characters. “When I was a child, I grew up in London’s East End, Leytonstone, and there was always a party at the weekend at friends’ houses, mainly at ours. “I would get up to sing on the karaoke for everyone and I guess this instilled in me when travelling to places, including my Grandmas’s pub, back in the North-East; my Dad (Stuart McKay) would lift me up on the bar and we’d sing Pulp’s Disco 2000.” As mentioned, ‘Find Myself in a Song’ looks at a life, from the individuals own perspective, and how they, or in this case she, has traversed the early motions of a life well-lived. “The song also reflects my time at school,” continued Hayley. “I was quite shy sometimes, however, I was also quick to get up on stage for school concerts and festivals, even though I was nervous deep down I cracked on and did it. “The chorus of ‘Find Myself in a Song’ reflects my love for the various artists who I have listened to over the years, including Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchel, Elvis and Bruce Springsteen.

“I do love all types of music, and have sung most styles over the years, but country has definitely stuck with me. “I think this started to develop more when I got that guitar off my Grandad and Uncle, and I started to write songs; I definitely got more inspired when I went to Nashville six years ago.” With the new offering now firmly on the horizon, what about the immediate future of a musician who’s burgeoning talent obviously traverses her youthful years. There was talk of several releases this year, Hayley hasn’t disappointed on that score, so, what is next, especially for someone who is as constantly active as she can be, and so often is. “I have been working on other songs,” divulged Hayley. “One of those is a collaboration with producer Jez Larder, who has worked on music by artists including Amy Macdonald, The Damned, and David Bowie. “The drummer featured on the track is the same one who featured in the band, The Sundays, who rose to fame in the 1990’s. “I have also been working with the singer-songwriter Anna Neale. “Over recent months I have been gathering songs and getting them to demo format ready to take into the studio. “It’s an exciting time and I can’t wait to release it all soon; I just love being in the recording studio bringing a song to life.” ‘Find Myself in a Song’ is scheduled for a digital release later this year, along with a music video which will be premiered via Hayley McKay’s YouTube https://www. youtube.com/user/HayleyMcKay

ROMESH RANGANATHAN COMES TO THE CITY HALL FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2019 WITH A BRAND NEW SHOW TICKETS ON SALE 10AM FRIDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2018

Romesh Ranganathan is back with a brand-new show, The Cynic’s Mixtape, and it’s his most brutally honest show yet.

Fresh from The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, A League Of Their Own and Judge Romesh, he’s putting showbiz aside to deliver a carefully-curated selection of all the things he has found unacceptable since his last tour, including why trying to save the environment is a scam, why none of us are truly free, and his suspicion that his wife is using gluten intolerance to avoid sleeping with him.

Romesh’s cynicism has become his trademark, but since being nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2013 Edinburgh Comedy Awards this deadpan humour has become one of Britain’s most respected and popular comics. Now, though, it’s time for the Asian Provocateur to return to his stand-up roots for a while – there’s things he needs to point out, discuss and have a good moan about. Care to join him?

Show drops 2019, don’t miss it.

Tickets for Romesh Ranganathan are on sale Fri 28 Sep from 10am and are £26.50. Tickets can be purchased online at www. theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge)