Singer warms up for trip to US champs
A Waikato singer-songwriter is gearing up to represent New Zealand at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Long Beach, California.
Coral Pitcher is one of 20 Kiwi singers, dancers, actors and models picked to compete at the event from July 6-15.
The event is described as “the Olympic-style international meet for aspiring performers and entertainers”.
Coral will rub shoulders with competitors from about 50 countries. The event is attended by international talent scouts and industry professionals, and the finals show is televised in the United States.
To warm up for her trip to the US Coral is performing at The Redoubt Bar & Eatery in Te Awamutu on Saturday, June 9.
Originally from Morrinsville, Coral’s musical career is a family affair. Her mum Emmaline is her business partner, roadie and songwriting partner and her sister Naomi is her makeup artist. Growing up Coral says she was influenced by watching live music.
“I grew up going to folk festivals, and my mum was an impersonation artist, so she worked with a lot of other artists who performed Michael Jackson, Queen, ABBA, and Fleetwood Mac.”
“That had a big musical influence on me, even though they weren’t the actual artists, but they were singing their music, so I got to know a lot of those bands through watching them.”
Coral would head along to shows to watch her mum perform, which then turned into a job at age 14, where Coral would set up the gear, do lighting, and sometimes sing a few songs.
Coral also gained experience and confidence from busking at local markets from the age of 8.
Her aunty had an art stall at the Frankton Market, so Coral and her cousins would join her and sing for pocket money.
Recently Coral has been writing her own music since she was 14 and often collaborates with her mum. In 2008, she was a participant in New Zealand’s Got Talent where she made it to the semifinals after placing in the top 12. Another career highlight was opening for Waikato-based rock band Devilskin in 2015.
Coral has been busy doing gigs and with every dollar earned has been re-investing into her career, including the production of her first album My Addictive DNA.
Coral’s Redoubt gig is on Saturday, June 9 from 7.30pm. She will be performing originals from her debut album, plus classic hits.