10/06/2008
She was the singing waitress who wowed George Clooney, Brad Pitt and other A-list stars on board a yacht in Cannes. Now Victoria Hart is back to prove once and for all that she is the sassiest and sexiest swing musician of the modern era.
Blonde, pretty and ultra-feminine, Victoria’s musicality and natural nonchalance suggest she is the perfect female answer to swing singers like Michael Bublé.
The album includes contemporary and often funky versions of standards from a variety of eras and features songs by composers as diverse as Cole Porter and Jimi Hendrix as well as a re-recording of one of Hart’s own songs, ‘Some Day’.
‘Mood Swings’ is a beautifully arranged and recorded collection that includes an innovative interpretation of Robert Palmer’s ‘Addicted to Love’ – a song which shows off both her vocal ability and her charming gift of knowing just how to deliver a line.
Victoria has been asked to join Russell on his forthcoming UK tour, as his special guest. Russell and his team have asked her to sing two solos of her own backed by Russell's orchestra as well as a classical duet with Russell during his performance each evening.
This is yet a further fantastic opportunity for the 19-year old singer. From wowing Hollywood A-Listers only a year ago at the Cannes Film Festival, this is yet another dream come true for Victoria.
It has been a truly exciting 6 months for the 19-year old, taking her from waiting tables to entertaining A-listers. Immediately following Cannes, Victoria flew back to record Friday Night Is Music Night with the BBC Orchestra and a raft of radio and TV programmes including GMTV, BBC News, ITN News, Loose Women, The Clothes Show and a quick visit to New York for a live performance on the Today Show.
Virgin Atlantic, enchanted by Hart’s story and music, played songs from her debut album to welcome passengers on board their aircraft around the world. And fashion designer Jacob Kimmie, inspired by the singer’s Monroe curves, designed a one-off creation based on his 2008 Spring collection which Hart revealed at London fashion week.
Her live diary very quickly filled up in 2007, delighting public and private audiences alike:
She performed on the Q stage at Glastonbury dressed in wellies and pyjamas, An evening with her big band at Ronnie Scotts Club, playing out to 3 encores, With the Pavao string quartet, entertaining 400 A-listers at John Galliano’s Golden Age of Couture Ball at the V&A during London Fashion week, Performing with her big band to the audience of the National TV Awards in a live ITV2 broadcast with Kelly and Jack Osbourne, The National Movie Awards at Claridges with the Pavao quartet, At the infamous GAY club in London where with 4 male dancers she entertained a 2,000-strong audience. But perhaps her greatest honour towards the end of the year was to sing with the string quartet, at a birthday party hosted by Lady and Sir Philip Green who had been present at the V&A Ball.
Victoria’s next exciting project for 2008 will be an album of newly re-discovered Gershwin songs and arrangements, some of which have lain forgotten for decades. The story behind this record is a Hollywood movie in itself. The Gershwin project will be a collaboration between Victoria and the all-female Pavao String Quartet, who originally met through MySpace. Over the last 6 months they have enjoyed working together live and in the studio and this is a natural development.
In a recent article Victoria Hart has been positioned alongside Candie Payne, Catherine Feeny, Remi Nicole and Keren Ann as “the ones to watch out for in 2008” and suggesting that “Amie and Lilly move over”. Hart is more than ready.
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
