TENOR Will Martin picked a singing career over rugby. It paid off.

MARTIN is the youngest tenor ever to debut at number one in the UK Classics Charts with his 2007 debut album A New World. He’s gone from performing on cruise ships and the Hard Rock Café to The Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium, and The Henley Festival. Now, the Hutt-born tenor has moved home to tour and write original material, with Kiwi songwriter Greg Johnson.
“Yesterday was literally my first day of songwriting. At a performance Greg came up to me and said ‘I’d love to write music with you’. Now that I feel I’ve gotten good at the performance side of things I’m keen to start writing,” Martin says.
Martin is not an opera singer, nor pop, and he is not a fan of the term ‘popera’, but he is happy to “rant on” about it. Like Hayley Westenra, his music fits somewhere in between, he says.
“It’s ‘cross-over’. ‘Popera’ is a pretty term but I am placed somewhere between classical and contemporary. There is nothing opera about it. I use a microphone, I don’t sing opera and I don’t have an operatic voice. It’s rock ‘n’ roll - in a classical kind of way,” he adds.
Born in Hutt Hospital, Martin now lives on Auckland’s North Shore, where he moved when he was three.
His childhood was spent dreaming of becoming an All Black.
“I’m a huge All Blacks fan. If I had lived in London for 40 years I would still be one. I always wanted to be an All Black, but I was too little,” he says laughing. “I was obsessed with tennis, football, rugby and martial arts, but when I was about 11 or 12, I started singing. It was around the time that I started getting crushed so singing took over. I still don’t know where the voice comes from.”
At Takapuna Grammar his love of musicals drew him to singing - a career which has enabled him to tour the world.
“I’ve been in the UK for four years now and things are going well there but I’m a Kiwi, and I need to be singing for Kiwis. It’s an incredible year in NZ with the Rugby World Cup. Now that I think about it, it’s purely coincidental that I’m coming down this weekend when the Sevens is on. I’m on my way to do a South Island tour. 2011 is definitely all about NZ for me,” he says.
Martin also entertained thoughts of becoming a chef. His first, and only, Wellington performance (this time) is at Martin Bosley’s restaurant, famous for its seafood, on Friday 4 February. Following an informal performance last year Martin was encouraged to come back and perform songs from his latest release Inspirations.
“Food is my thing. I had this dream of mixing food, wine and good cuisine, but I’m not fast enough to be a chef. I’m pedantic – it takes me half an hour to cut a potato so years ago I became a waiter. Last time I went to Bosley’s I jumped up and sang Nights in White Satin and Cinema Paradiso, then I rolled out the door”, he says laughing.
Martin will perform songs from Inspirations - a collection of 12 songs including Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House - at the show.
“The album contains songs that have inspired me, and that’s NZ music. I’ve been really lucky to travel with my work and I’ve been to a lot of places but it’s not NZ. As soon as I hear the accent on Air NZ flying home I know everything is ok.”
Will Martin, Martin Bosley’s, 103 Oriental Parade, February 4.