14/08/2016
KIRSTEN ORSBORN'S NEW SONG...Have a listen now!! To book her email: [email protected] Based in Wales
KIRSTEN ORSBORN.
The forces sweetheart.
From the age of six, music and performance has been a very big part of this young lady’s life. The family home was always awash with the sound of music, and with her Grandfather constantly serenading her, soon she was hooked. Around this time, after Kirsten broke her leg, she found herself bored, so turned to music to while away the hours. But it was only until an unexpected gift was handed to her that she really started to knuckle down and used this time wisely, singing along to the sweet serenade of “Mary Poppins”, by now a very valuable gift, unbeknown to her, what was going to unfold years later.
But with her brother treading the boards as a comedian, there soon was a very different fire in her belly, and the urge to perform like her brother in front of the masses only got stronger.
As soon as the cast came off, Kirsten joined her brother on stage for her first ever public performance, singing that age old classic, “My Boy Lollipop”.
After a standing ovation, and not a dry eye in the house, this girl was hooked, and although a daunting prospect, she knew exactly where she wanted to be.
Later on, during her time in comprehensive school, she had the chance to perform in many venues, such as “St David’s Hall” in Cardiff and the reopening of the historic “Gwyn Hall”.
By the year 10, Kirsten was handed the “Rotary Award” from the local council after performing and raising money for over 30 charity events in one year.
Kirsten has also hit the stage with local male voice choirs, along with some big performances in countless local Mayor's charities.
In performance, Kirsten has always been influenced by “Audrey Hepburn”, for her strong personality, beauty, compassion and commitment to hard work.
Vocally and musically, Kirsten has been inspired by the late, great, “Karen Carpenter”, evident here in the sheer quality of her voice, and it only seemed fitting to pay tribute to her by singing, “I Won’t Last a Day Without You” as one of the first songs she ever sung as the true professional she is today.
All of Kirsten’s friends know her for her vintage and retro look and her love of 50’s music, so it’s hardly surprising to find “Grease and “Dirty Dancing” top of her list, closely followed by the great crooner himself, “Frank Sinatra”, “Frankie Vali” and “The Four Seasons”.
This was all the fuel she needed to set her goals high, and still very young, Kirsten enrolled at the “Mark Jermain” stage school to not only to further her craft and gain experience, but to cut her teeth in this extremely cutthroat industry, a challenge that she not only achieved with style and grace, but with confidence too, as she rolled with the punches gaining the strength she needed along the way to further her career.
This soon got her performing with “Tommy Steele” in the stage production
“Dr Doolittle”.
Kirsten often travelled to London for numerous auditions for stage and television, and the success of this awarded her work in many television adverts, one of which was with “Harry Hill” for “Boots”, as well as children’s television programs such as “Nickelodeon” and “Crush” along with the Television series “Rush Hour starring “Amanda Heart”.
Now things were starting to happen for Kirsten as she found herself appearing with her brother, playing brother and sister on ”Brainiac” with
“Richard Hammond”, where in true Hammond style got them to blow up a caravan. But that explosive chemistry started to light more fuses for her, as things were now starting to sky rocket as her career started to take off into the stratosphere.
Born and raised in the small village of “Tonna” in “Neath” near “Swansea, South Wales”, Kirsten found herself travelling far and wide all over the UK and abroad, promoting her sound and fast gaining recognition in the industry, meeting some very influential and inspiring people along the way.
With Wales as the land of song, the Welsh community must be very proud of the hard work and dedication Kirsten has put in over the years, and from such a young age too.
At the age of thirteen Kirsten was invited to perform at the “Sunderland Armed Forces” Day, which was an amazing experience for her, especially when the papers labelled her as “Their Forces Sweetheart”, which went on to being an official title by 2014, and was officially adopted by “The Royal Marines” following in the footsteps of “Dame Vera Lyn” and “Katherine Jenkins”, an award she can not only wear proudly for herself but Wales too.
This all lead to many more performances there, taking her on to Bristol, Cardiff and Caerphilly Castle.
Following this, Kirsten recorded a few original singles, the first of which was “April Wine” which she dedicated to “BLESMA” (The British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association) followed by “Never Stop Believing” for “The Royal Marines Association”.
But the fun didn’t stop there, as she was made patron of “The Former Veterans Art Festival Project”, an honour to be treasured. Now with a full diary, Kirsten still managed to travel to some larger events held by the forces, one of which was “Lympstone Commando Training Base” for “The sergeants Christmas mess Ball”, “The Royal Hospital Of Chelsea” SSAFA’s yearly Summer Ball, “The Royal Marines Association Of South Wales” yearly events, “The Patsy Cullen award ceremony” for services in the D-day landings, and a performance at “The Evening Post Pride Awards”, whilst “Elaine Kidwell” received her award for services in the Swansea Blitz.
In a recent interview, Kirsten told me how proud she is to have this title bestowed upon her, and will always support the forces in whatever way she can.
Three times a year, every year, from the age of six, Kirsten has performed at an annual charity show at “The Grand Theatre” in Swansea, and on one occasion was fortunate enough to be asked backstage to meet “Jimmy Osmond” and has performed with a great many people since, such as “Luck Friend”, “Ragsy”, “Cai Williams”, “Shellyan”, “Shaheen Jafaqoli” and “Lloyd Daniels” at many big events and has met, “Ant” and “Dec”, “David Roper”, “David stark”, “Louis Walsh”, “Katherine Jenkins”, “Mike Doyle”, “Sharon Osbourne”, “Gary Barlow”, “Nicole Scherzinger”, “Amanda Heart”, “Richard Hammond”, “Harry Hill”, “Tommy Steele”, “Jimmy Osmond”, “Shane Richie”, “Mike Stock”, “Dean Midas Maynard” and “Owen Money”.
Other performances have taken her to “St David’s Hall”, “The Millennium Centre”, Cardiff, “The Little Theatre”, Cardiff, “The Royal Hospital of Chelsea”, Armed Forces Events 6 years running, “La, La Piano Bar”, London, “The Brangwyn Hall”, Swansea, “The Grand Theatre”, Swansea, “BBC” and “ITV”, “Nickelodeon”, “ITV News”, many holiday parks across the UK, Hotels, Corporate Events, Weddings etc. “The Dylan Thomas Theatre” and “The Princess Royal Theatre”.
But with this busy work schedule, Kirsten barely gets time to herself to relax, but when she does its family all the way, with great food and cosy nights in watching old films bespoke to her singing career, such as, “Dirty Dancing”, “Grease”, true life stories of inspirational people like “Audrey Hepburn”, “Jonny Cash”, “Marilyn Monroe”, “Frank Sinatra”, and likewise with their books.
When I asked Kirsten, what else she likes to do to relax, she replied:
“I like to do some fun things like crazy golf, watch car racing, as I am a bit car mad which not many people would expect, I especially love 50s cars like the 55 Chevy’s”. She went on to add, “I’ve always enjoyed sketching and drawing, so if I do get some relaxing time, I tend to go into my own little world and create a new little drawing, painting or something. When it comes to my relaxing time, I always look forward to family vacations in the sun to totally chill out, and do nothing but eat, and swim in the pool and maybe a little bit of shopping here or there”.
Now with a huge responsibility resting on her shoulders, and an extremely busy work schedule in the music industry, Kirsten feels eternally grateful for all the help and support that has come her way.
So I asked her “Is there anything else you would like the listener/ reader to know”?
She replied:
“My family has been the biggest support anyone could ever ask for and have helped me to get to my dreams! Without my family and friends, and the support from local radio stations and magazines, I wouldn’t be where I am today!
All the way through school and college, I really suffered with bullying, I hoped college would be my time to get away from all the bullying and problems, but I was wrong, so I decided to do what was best for me, and I left, becoming self-employed, and it was the best decision I have ever made! I absolutely love travelling, performing in new places and meeting incredible people along the way, I can’t wait to see where my career takes me next! I never thought it was possible to do what I do today, but something I have learnt is to never let anyone change who you are, to believe in yourself and in your dreams, and that nothing is impossible. If you’re willing to work hard enough, then you can do whatever you want to and live your dreams to their full potential.
When I was in school, I was afraid to show and be who I really am, but now I am 100% Kirsten Orsborn and I’ve never been happier. I’m not afraid to be funny and goofy, I’m not scared about what people may think if I wear something that looks like it’s from the 50s, or if my hair is super curly or backcombed that little bit too much! Be who you want to be, and push yourself every day to be the best you can be”.
That brings me nicely to the single in question here:
“Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool”
With a 50’s feel and a modern day twist of her own making, with co-writers
“Al Steel” and “Gavin Clifton”, who has severe Cerebral Palsy, and unable to speak, so converses in writing and would like to share this talent with the world.
This single has every nuance possible to transport you back to the time and era that made music what it is today. The simplistic flow of the lyrics sits perfectly within this genre, with some well-crafted lyrics telling this story beautifully as it was written about Kirsten’s life to date.
Vocally, Kirsten is proficient in her delivery, tempting her fans to grab the nearest hairbrush and join her is this truly wonderful single, as she sails through each line with ease and a style and grace of a true professional.
To listen and watch her perform is a true delight, and you could easily think she has been around for years, and even though that’s not the case, Kirsten Orsborn is here to stay, and has already touched the hearts of the masses with a longevity of a lifetime.
Musically, every instrument used here works perfectly, with a sound, again transporting you back to that bygone era of the 50’s.
There is an album in the pipeline called “Lose Yourself in Music” which is a compilation of five originals and eight well known covers, beautifully reproduced by Kirsten herself and her amazing team.
In all, whether you like music from the 50’s or not, a trip to see this young lady perform Live is a must, and will most certainly change your mind. So put her on your wish list for this year.
My Score…… 10/10
Ian Davies International Music Journalist and Director of Core Global Media
Core Global Media Ltd
Core Live
Core FM
Links……
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/mama-didnt-raise-no-fool-single/id1135535673?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
www.kirstenorsbornofficial.co.uk
www.reverbnation.co.uk/kirstenorsborn7
https://www.facebook.com/www.kirstenorsborn7.co.uk/
http://kirstenorsborn.co.uk/
