A Chalfont St Giles resident beat around 10,000 other competitors to appear on TV talent show The Voice last month.
Hayley Chart, 52, performed Nina Simone’s Sinnerman on an episode of the show that aired on Saturday, November 25.
The Voice sees aspiring singers performing in front of celebrity judges, who sit with their backs to the stage. If they like what they hear, the judges press their buzzers and their chairs spin around to reveal the singer.
Hayley wowed the judges and the audience alike with her confident performance of the famous jazz number – so much so that both will.i.am and Olly Murs pressed their buttons and turned to face the beaming Hayley.
Speaking to CHALFONTS&GERRARDSCROSSnews, Hayley said: “I was absolutely petrified when I got on stage; it’s so big and overwhelming. It was so quiet; you could hear a pin drop.
“I just remember thinking to myself, ‘don’t mess up, don’t forget the lyrics’. It was hard work at first, but once I was in the swing of it, it was great fun.”
Hayley is a mother-of-three: 21-year-old twins and a 24-year-old son. She has lived in Chalfont St Peter for five years and has been singing since the age of 25. She began as a backing singer in a local band before joining a duet with a local guitarist.
Hayley says that childrearing forced her to put singing on the back burner, but now that her children have grown up, she “has the time to embarrass them”.
Prior to her appearance on The Voice, Hayley was a regular busker, and it was during one of her open-air performances that she was scouted by a record producer. She subsequently released three singles which are available on Spotify.
Hayley shares her busking performances on social media and one of her videos, in which she stops busking to help find a woman’s lost toddler, racked up more than 40,000 likes on TikTok.
Eighteen months ago, Hayley’s sister passed away following a pancreas and kidney transplant, and her mum passed away three weeks later. Hayley was plunged into depression and temporarily gave up singing as she grieved the loss of her sister and mother.
The fact that she has come back from this dark period with such aplomb makes her fiancé Jez extremely proud.
Speaking of her unique style of performance, Hayley said: “I’m not your ordinary singer – I’m a bit of a mad hatter! For me, it’s about stage presence and character. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, of course, and the response on social media has been a mix of good and bad comments.”
Hayley feels that Sinnerman, an African American spiritual song which describes a sinner attempting to hide from divine justice on Judgement Day, was a bit of a “Marmite choice” and feels that given another chance, she would have picked something different.
She said: “The song is apocalyptic and full of drama. I feel that I may have seemed like a bit of a fruitcake on stage, but I also do sweeter and softer numbers like those by Adele.
“I just wanted to put myself out there and make something electric, and I think I achieved that.”
Faced with the difficult decision of choosing will.i.am or Olly Murs as her coach, she said: “It was a very tough choice because they’re both brilliant, but it had to be will.i.am in the end. He’s just so cool!”
Hayley remained tight-lipped about what will come next for her in the competition, but says that her performance has already started opening doors and has massively boosted her confidence. She performed at the recent Chalfont St Giles Christmas light switch on.
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