Camilla Kerslake
| Camilla Kerslake | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Camilla Kerslake |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Classical crossover, operatic pop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Labels | Future Records (2009-2012) |
Camilla Kerslake is an English classical crossover singer from London who was the first signing to Gary Barlow's record label. She released her debut album on 23 November 2009 in the UK.
Kerslake was born in Dulwich to a Welsh mother and New Zealand-born father. The family moved to New Zealand shortly after and lived there until returning to the United Kingdom eight years later. Kerslake "prides herself on her English/Welsh/Kiwi roots". After attending Esher College, Kerslake sought singing lessons, but opted to sing contemporary as she could not afford classical training.
In 2008, after years of auditioning, Kerslake won a place in an all-girl pop group. She was initially selected, but was let go soon afterwards owing to their feeling that, at age twenty, she was too old. Motivated to try harder, she started performing in pubs and working men's clubs as well as in an ABBA tribute band to finance her own classical singing lessons.
She currently dates the former captain of the England national rugby union team, Chris Robshaw.
In early 2009, Kerslake learned of a studio where Gary Barlow was recording. She submitted her demo CD "every day for six weeks" until Barlow finally listened to it. As he was instantly impressed, Kerslake promptly became Barlow's first signing under his new label, Future Records.
Her first album, Camilla Kerslake, was released 23 November 2009. A song from this album, the Christian hymn "How Can I Keep from Singing?", was featured in a 2009 Waitrose supermarket Christmas advert.
At the 2010 Classic Brit Awards Kerslake was nominated for NS&I album of the year, and her live performance from the ceremony, with classical boy band Blake and Howard Goodall's Enchanted voices, was chosen to become the first ever charity single release from the awards.
Kerslake sang the United Kingdom's national anthem at Wembley Stadium before the 2010 football League Cup final between Manchester United and Aston Villa. She sang "Abide with Me" at the Challenge Cup final between Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves in 2010. Kerslake regularly provides the pre-match entertainment at Twickenham Stadium, having performed there a total of six times, both for international and premiership matches.
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