At thirteen Charlotte Church is like any Aother normal schoolgirl. She likes pizza, sleepover parties and giggling with her friends. But Charlotte is different from them in one important way. She has an extraordinary voice and is the latest 'discovery of the music industry. It may come as a surprise that she sings songs from opera and the works of classical composers rather than pop music. Her first album, Voice of an Angel, was a runaway success and she is the youngest solo artist to enter the Top 30 US album chart. Whenever she performs, she is electrifying. Charlotte is every record producer's dream. Not only has she got a remarkable voice but she is also photogenic and has an engaging personality. Charlotte is the only child of working-class parents from a suburb of Cardiff in South Wales and they are intensely proud of their daughter. Her father works for a security firm and her mother gave up her job working for the local council to chaperone her daughter on tour. This means I'm not worried about her when she's abroad.' It was a lucky break that made Charlotte famous. She had auditioned many times for singing parts in theatre musicals and had almost given up hope, when she appeared on a talent show on TV. She sang just four lines of sacred music. An executive from Sony Music UK saw her, was excited by her voice and offered her a contract. In the following two years, her career rocketed. At weekends and during her school holidays, her schedule is very busy. Sometimes she gets tired of the lifestyle and misses her friends, but not often. Next week she is travelling to Japan to try to conquer the important Japanese market. One day she hopes she'll sing the lead role in Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly at La Scala in Milan. In the history of show business, there are many examples of young people with talent - in music, film or on the stage - who have not lived up to their early promise. But when you hear Charlotte sing, you get the feeling her name will soon be known to every serious music lover in the world.
