Sarah Brightman is a household name in the theater. From the West End to Broadway, to the Billboard charts, the now 64-year-old vocalist has done it all. She's the only artist to have simultaneously topped the Billboard dance and classical charts.
In fact, she might be one of the first true crossover artists. While you might know her three-octave range from "The Phantom of the Opera" — toward the beginning of her career, she had disco hits.
And, tonight, she’s bringing her “Christmas Symphony” to Arizona Financial Theater. The Show spoke with her more about it.
Full conversation
SARAH BRIGHTMAN: So, I was what you would call a competition child when I was younger, in that my mother had me all types of arts, things to do with ballet and natural movement and what we called stage, which I suppose was modern dancing then and little singing lessons for children, all that stuff. And I also competed in what we call festivals in England for, you know, doing dance and all of those things.
So I was fully trained really, and I was at art school when I got this audition for a dance group, which was very well known here, called Hot Gossip, and also one called Pan's People. And then, during that time, I had a hit record which was a sort of disco record, I suppose that we're talking about the late '70s here. And then I had a little pop career which of course, was not going to last. And so I went back into what I knew of doing. I went back to theater, and my first theater thing after that was "Cats."
So it's been a varied career, but all through that time, as well as being sort of trained in the arts. I also have trained, you know, and still continue to train in the classical voice and classical music, and I love it. And I find it the best training really to sort of protect your voice and understand what you're really doing.
LAUREN GILGER: It's interesting to me that you have always sort of done every genre, because you're so well known as a crossover genre artist, like kind of a, a thing everyone seems to be doing now. But, you might have been one of the first, right?
BRIGHTMAN: Yes, I mean, there are, there are a few of us actually that sort of our talents fall between many schools. I wouldn't say that I, although I've trained in that, I would not say I was an opera singer. I would not say that I am, you know, a straight out actress. Although I can do all of these things, I've sort of woven my own, my own way in life, and you often find that there's those people, there's unusual people that, you know, just something that is very much there. We actually have the longest careers because people get to know our, our art through, you know, the people that we are and what we choose to do.
GILGER: To be able to do all of those different things.
BRIGHTMAN: Yes.
GILGER: I wonder, I wonder how you approach genre, how you think about it, right? Like, is it, is it something that you've never seen as a barrier, like saying, “well, I am this kind of singer so I can't do that kind of album,” or “I can't do that kind of show or project.” Has that ever stopped you?
BRIGHTMAN: No, not really, I don't think in those terms. I mean, I choose to do particular things because something tells me very deep inside, “Actually, you could get involved in this in some way and, and I feel very suited to it and, and it's familiar to me and I kind of know what to do with it.” And that's when, you know, you're on the right path to something.
So, I never quite know what it's going to be, and it's suddenly kind of probably from a combination of all sorts of different things that you're doing it, it shows its face.
GILGER: I want to ask you about something you said earlier about class music and sort of being trained in it and, and keeping yourself trained in it, right? I wonder this so much about singers, especially classical singers, especially singers like you who maintain three octaves, right? Like, what is the routine? How do you do that? How do you care for your voice, as an instrument?
BRIGHTMAN: Well, voices change all the time, especially being female. They change a lot. So, you have to really keep on top of things. I mean, I work, I've just actually before these interviews, I was actually with my, my vocal coach for like three hours today and, you know, and I do lessons online if I'm abroad doing things continually. It's just a continual thing that you do every day. I’m pretty rigid about it.
You're an athlete basically and you have to keep vocal chords protected because vocal chords don't, technically, they don't, they don't get old. It's the material rather than look after and to stop that from spoiling anything within the vocal chord. You know, our vocal chords should be as they were when we were children because we have to communicate through our lives.
So that's really what I work on. It's technical, a lot of it is boring, but it's very, very important.
GILGER: Ok. So let's talk then about this Christmas tour that you're bringing to Phoenix here. It began, I understand, as a live stream during the pandemic which is, you know, so ubiquitous from that time, right? Like that's what we were all watching. But it's become something of a holiday tradition for you it sounds like. Tell us about this show and, and what you love about performing classics like this. Is it about nostalgia?
BRIGHTMAN: A lot of it is. And I think that within the Christmas spirit, it is about nostalgia. It's about looking back on the year and the years and what we've experienced in life and thinking about the people, we've lost people, new people that have come into our lives, all those things. It's a very, very emotional time of year for all sorts of people.
So, actually I feel kind of when people come to a musical evening like this, I feel more responsible for this and people's emotions than I do in anything else that I do. Because it is that ticket that they bought for that musical entertainment for that year. So I, I've always taken a great deal of care on choosing the material that I have. Although it's fun, it's quite very respectful of the Christmas tradition. It's a personal piece for me to do, and I love it because I love Christmas.
GILGER: I love Christmas too. I totally feel that. Ok, final question for you then and I'll let you go. I wonder this because you've been in, in music and in performing for so long, so many years, so many performances, so many really big performances, right? I wonder, do you, do you still get like a little jolt from performing live in front of an audience or does it feel very routine to you now?
BRIGHTMAN: Oh, God, I get more of a jolt now than I ever did. It's really hard to do. It becomes harder, but in the right way, because you're so much more aware of making something really great, and so you expect more of yourself. And that's why I think the performers, they're always very revered by people because their experience brings something even more extra special. I enjoy that, I think it's very hard sometimes, but I really enjoy the challenge and the, and the achievement of it.
At this age, I find I'm really able to polish my craft, which I love to do. I'm very specific and very detailed, and that's a wonderful place to be.
