Angelina
Category: Press Pack ArticleAngelina is a 22-year-old student who lives in London. In series one, Angelina performed the song Dancing Queen by ABBA. She is now in her third year at the Royal College of Music and she started doing pop covers on the piano as an outlet while studying for her GCSE’s.
Tell me about your connection to the piano.
I started playing piano when I was six - I fell in love with the instrument. My family aren’t very musical, but we all love and appreciate music, so we always used to listen to music a lot around the house. After falling in love with the piano, I started playing the violin and then I started singing lessons as well. A lot of the time when I‘m singing, it’s usually with a pianist so it's a real collaboration and it's an opportunity to share a musical experience and an emotional connection with someone else. So, the piano, to me, means togetherness because it just brings so much joy to so many people. Although I’m a classical music student as a singer, I found an outlet on Tik Tok in playing more pop music… I don't give myself much of a break from music! I immerse myself in playing and just enjoying different kinds of music and playing the piano.
How would you describe your style in your own words?
When I sing pop music, there’s quite an obvious classical influence and I don't claim to sound very poppy when I'm singing the pop songs. I enjoy letting my classical style influence the way I sing the pop songs as it gives me some individuality. When I play the piano, I probably still play a lot of classical repertoire and rather than just playing sort of block chords, I try and incorporate some element of a classical influence into my playing.
What did you enjoy about the first series that you hope is here in the Christmas episode?
I loved the real community aspect of the first series - getting to know the other pianists backstage, beforehand in the greenroom, and hearing their stories. It was such a personal journey for so many of the other musicians and so many different aspects of their lives had brought them to play the piano, yet we all have something in common and that was the love for the instrument. I hope the love and passion for the instrument is here in the Christmas Special.
How are your fellow pianists? Are you all able to support each other?
Yeah, absolutely, it’s great. When we’ve been backstage, we’ve had more time to get to know each other because it’s a smaller crowd. I’ve been hanging out quite a lot with Melissa and Jared; we’ve had a really lovely time talking about our experience with the piano and then after we've been filming, we’ve been to play the piano at St. Pancras together so that was really nice. Everyone has been really lovely and supportive. I also had a lovely chat with Sue, Fiona and Harry and it was special hearing their perspectives, stories, and love for the piano because obviously they’ve had a longer time with the instrument. Everyone has had a different start and used the piano in a different way; some professionally, some more as a comfort, some to entertain others and some for fun, and it's amazing that the piano has got such an ability to work in all those situations and do so many different things for people, emotionally.
Last time you performed for The Piano, you were in a duo. How does it feel coming back to perform solo this time around?
Coming back on my own is quite a different experience for me, and I wanted to just enjoy it as much as possible. I wanted to be a bit freer with what I was doing and being on my own I am able to do what I want musically because I am only relying on myself.
When you were performing in the middle of Kings Cross Station, were you aware of how the crowd was responding to performance?
I was a little bit nervous! I was just concentrating on getting the words right and getting the right notes, at the right time. But I was also trying to enjoy the performance and lose myself in the music, so I wasn't aware of the audience, but it was such a lovely relief when everyone was cheering at the end. It felt really special that people really enjoyed what they had just heard and enjoyed the Christmas spirit.
Can you share your favourite moment from the Christmas Special?
It was it was absolutely amazing to hear Lucy play again and especially with Gregory Porter - what an amazing collaboration. She's just so special and it was really beautiful to hear her playing in a jazzier style, especially for Christmas. I really love Gregory Porter so that was a very special moment for me.
Is there a Christmas song or piece of music that represents Christmas to you the most?
My favourite Christmas song is probably Michael Bublé’s Jingle Bells, I really love it and I have it on repeat through the Christmas period. I also love This Christmas by Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder’s What Christmas Means To Me.
You chose to perform one of the most well-known and well-loved Christmas pop songs, Last Christmas by Wham. Was there a greater pressure when playing this song because everyone is so familiar with it?
Yes, everyone knows the song I performed! But the piano was always going to be such a different vibe from the original track which is something I considered and tried to embrace when performing it. I knew I couldn't resemble the original or do an exact copy so I thought I would try and mix it up a bit whilst also not drifting too far away from the original because it's such a well-known song and everyone wants to hear what they know. It was tricky to pull something like that off! I wanted to balance performing it in a way that everyone recognises what they are hearing while also giving it my own twist and spin on it. But it was a challenge for sure.
Why do you think music is so important at Christmas time?
Music is so important at Christmas time because it brings so many people together; I've done a lot of singing carols and Christmas hymns, and everyone knows the songs. Music always has such a special power to just bring people together and that's my favourite thing about Christmas; it's the one time of the year that so many people make such a huge effort to be together and enjoy each other's company. However you may celebrate Christmas, in most people's celebrations, there's always music involved and I think that's something really special.
What advice would you give to any budding pianist?
A series like The Piano shows that no matter where you've been in your life or what you've done, the piano can connect you to so many people and allow you to connect with so many other people's stories. It also allows you to enjoy so much more music and all sorts of different genres. My advice would just be to just give it a go, just try. It doesn't matter how you develop or progress on the instrument, it’s just a case of if you're playing it and you're enjoying it, that's the best thing. It can bring you so much joy and so much joy to other people as well.
What is next for you?
I'm doing my masters for two years at the Royal College of Music so hopefully more performance opportunities. I’ll keep posting on Tik Tok; I post classical singing videos and pop singing videos, musical theatre and bit a jazz. I want to show people that you don't have to put yourself in a box; you can enjoy so many different types of music and make your own music accessible to lots of people with different interests.