Interview: Natasha Hemmings, singer/songwriter

I started music lessons from the age of nine, and was the youngest in a professional choir. The closest age to me was 38. I just loved to sing and wanted to be around music.

I achieved a music scholarship to school up to the sixth form, and at 14 I was accepted into the junior program at the Royal Northern College of Music to study classical music, composition and musicianship for four years. I then returned to the Royal Northern College of Music to complete my Diploma in Pops course.

Classical singing teachers have long careers in opera, or are music directors and conductors. You are trained in breathing, projecting, performing, embodying a character. There’s no microphone technique, no vocal bending: it’s about putting the sound in your head and letting the breath do the work for you. So, lots of breathing techniques and chanting the breath, engaging the diaphragm and learning languages. This is a beautiful study. I am very proud to be a part of his story and develop the full range and power of my voice.

Pop is all about being very unique: writing, recording, creating a completely different sound, pressing more on the vocal cords, bending notes, using chest voice and speech quality when singing and using a microphone.

I’m really thankful that I changed although my first love is classical music and I always write a score first, whereas pop singers usually start with words or a melody. Studying music theory also gave me the tools and scope to explore my creativity.

My songs would appeal to an audience that enjoys the story behind the song, and the emotional journey the artist takes you on through song and album. With my upcoming album, I am, I wrote and arranged many of the songs myself, mainly because they are personal songs from moments and memories of my life. I found it cathartic to sit alone and express myself through this creative process.

Every artist I heard influenced me, from Hans Zimmer to Hillsong. I’ve always loved different genres and styles, but my favorites are those that share a message with the world.

my first album Whispercombined my two loves, classical music and literature, in a soundtrack of nature, music and poetry, while I am is all about me peeling back the layers and sharing my experiences, struggles and heartbreak as well as the best moments.

I started an English Literature degree at Nottingham, with Theology as an optional module, before completing my degree at the Royal Northern College of Music. I was surprised that the weekly theology classes became one of my favorite classes. I loved looking at how the books of the Bible and pagan historical evidence came to support events documented in the Bible.

But I was lonely and my mum entered me into the Miss England pageant after seeing the advert, thinking it would be a great way to make friends. The race was not what I expected. It was about empowering women, giving voice to causes and charities and celebrating ambition. The current Miss England was a doctor from Cambridge.

There were many challenges and rounds, such as fundraising, designing and making a garment, talent, sports and intelligence tests that gave each person opportunities to shine. [She won Miss England 2015.]

The most important thing I gained was the opportunity to travel and experience different cultures around the world. Seeing the poverty in China and India opened my eyes and encouraged me to help where I could. I was 19 and had never seen anything like it.

I made friends but I’ve also become friends with the Miss England organization and what they stand for, and I now host the final every year because our values ​​match. Beauty with a purpose [linked with the Miss World contest] donates millions to children around the world. They campaigned extensively for cleft palates in the UK and invested in an autism centre. They encourage contestants to work for their own charities as well. Mine were autism and a pioneering private medical facility developing rapidly replicating skin and muscle tissue. . . They hope that in time this will allow people to regrow limbs or breasts.

As a competitor I did a walk from Leicester to Blackpool with a young lad who was an amputee. It was really inspiring to spend time with someone who had all these different experiences in life. You don’t have to be a winner to experience this—just be a part of it.

People think Miss England is just a beauty pageant with no substance, flaunting women for their looks. I wanted to show what it’s really about: girls coming together with ambitions to make the world a better place. As a Christian, I believe the most important thing is to remember your intentions and what is important as you struggle with the challenges of modern society.

In the age of social media, we constantly struggle with the demands of perception and the perfect life and image that society expects to see. I express my thoughts on this matter in my latest single ‘Invisible’.

I would remind young people that your worth has nothing to do with your looks. Beauty is your thoughts, the way you treat others and the way you treat yourself. Remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that we are in control of our own self-esteem and should never give a stranger or society the power to take it away from us.

I have a twin brother with whom I am very close, a little sister and another older brother and sister. I am very close to my mother and father, even though my father is not my biological father. Family is what’s there for you and you can turn to when you need it, and I’m lucky to have it. My mom drives and helps me get ready backstage when I’m on tour.

On tour with Aled Jones and Russell Watson, mum and I were struck by a young homeless girl in Glasgow, sitting alone, looking very vulnerable, with a group of men lurking around the corner; but we were unable to help her directly. It inspired me to write a song about how we have a responsibility to fight for these people and not look the other way. You can’t solve everyone’s problems, but you have a responsibility to try.

I don’t remember my earliest memory of learning about God, but I remember the first time I felt his presence in my life. It felt more like the warmth of the sun than anything else. Pretty hard to explain.

I talk to God every day in prayer, and I try to surround myself with his influences. I’m still dealing with everything, but I’m on my way and he’s with me.

There are many things in the world that make me angry, but most of all bullying.

God, my family and friends make me happy, as well as my two dogs and music. Unconditional love.

I love instrumental music, the sound of rain or the crackling of a fireplace.

I always have hope for the future. Every day is a new beginning to create wonderful memories, spread happiness and make others smile.

I pray that my family and friends will know God, for their health and happiness and may God continue to lead me according to his will.

I would like to be locked in a church with my grandfather, who recently passed away. He was one of the biggest supporters of my music and always believed in me. . . I think about him every time I go in the evening.

Natasha Hemmings was in conversation with Terence Handley McMath.

Ms. Hemmings has just finished a tour with Ronan Keating. Her latest single ‘Invisible’ is out now. natashahemmings.com