Rachael Leahcar Together For Christmas Interview

Together For Christmas

Embracing the positivity of the festive season, songstress Rachael Leahcar's fifth album release – Together For Christmas – is a beautiful journey through her favourite yuletide tunes, effortlessly delivered in six different languages and with a swag of special guests. Featuring duets with Darren Mullan, Ben Whittington, Grace Bawden (Australia's Got Talent) and Lara Nakhle (The Voice), the 14-track long-player includes rousing renditions of Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, Jingle Bells and Jingle Bell Rock, to breathtakingly gorgeous versions of Ave Maria, O Holy Night, Silent Night and White Christmas, to name a few. The album is sprinkled with the magic of the festive season from the opening track, until the closing bars, and embodies that inherent bubble of excitement that surrounds the final month of the year.

For Rachael, the Together For Christmas album isn't just about the celebration of Christmas. The core theme of the release is about bringing people together, regardless of their beliefs, and sharing quality time catching up.

"We've become so busy in our lives that we often let too much time go by but this way we're forced to do it – share stories, give a gift, have a laugh and be merry," she says. "Christmas is about people coming together with love, something everyone can benefit from. What better way to do this than through music? Christmas is also a time to celebrate our differences, because life would be so boring if we were all the same. I have learned so much from people – their stories, beliefs and opinions. We can only move forward as a human race if we are open, respectful and accepting of each other. I'm hoping that by sharing the songs of old and new, with diverse languages and voices, it will help this message be shared."

Recording the album in six different languages was part about incorporating this diversity into the album. "I started my singing career singing in English and Italian, and picked up French and Spanish shortly after," says Rachael. "There were Christmas songs I wanted to do with Latin and German in them, especially for this album. I have always loved singing in alternative languages because they all FEEL different, even if you're singing the same song in a different language. We are stronger when we are all united and I'm hoping people around the world will be able to connect with this album for Christmas."

Rachael Leahcar came into the public consciousness in 2012, finishing in the Top 3 of the first season of The Voice Australia. She captivated the public with her gorgeous vocals, where approximately four-million people watched her television audition. Her debut album Shooting Star achieved Gold status, and her three subsequent releases Romantique, Here Comes The Sun and Shadows, also debuted in the Top 10. Despite living with a degenerative eye condition and losing 90% of her vision – she is considered legally blind – Rachael has been working at her musical dream since she was a child, performing around her home-town of Adelaide and steadily earning acclaim for her incredible talent.

Listening to her fifth album release, there is a maturity and beauty to Rachael's vocals that showcases her passion for these songs. That's one thing that has always stayed true throughout all her releases – Rachael always keeps her authenticity as a performer, she does what feels right and Together For Christmas was the next step forward for her as an artist. "Every album I've made has given me valuable experience and a chance for growth," she says. "I can hear the youth in my voice in the first album, not only in tone, but in life experience. I know that I will always have more to learn as a performer, singer and in the music business, but what I have learned has been absolutely essential to my confidence releasing this album independently.

I'm very grateful to all those who have supported me now and in the past, in all my big dreams and endeavours."

Keeping true to her down-to-earth style, Rachael has dedicated Together For Christmas to her best friend Ella, her eightyear-old Golden Retriever, who features in the superb illustrated front cover artwork by artist Rosanna Lam. "She also happens to be my eyes as my RSB Guide Dog," she says. "She has pretty much been by my side for almost 24/7 for six years, guided me through thick and thin, every recording session and tour, putting up with all my rehearsals and shows. I wanted to pay credit where it was due, as she is my Rudolph, guiding me through the dark so that I can find my way safely. The bond between us is unlike anything I've ever known, we are completely in tune with each other and I love her to the ends of the earth and back."

Rachael Leahcar's Together For Christmas album is released on Friday 25th October 2019. For more information, please visit www.rachaelleahcar.com.au

Interview with Rachael Leahcar

Question: What inspired you to release a Christmas album?

Rachael Leahcar: I think Christmas is the most magical time of year! Everything seems to come alive and people treat each other with more kindness. I also loved singing these songs growing up! I want to bring this spirit into people's houses at Christmas through the music we all know and love.


Question: How did you go about choosing the tracks for Together For Christmas?

Rachael Leahcar: I first wrote down all the Christmas songs I enjoyed listening to (which was a long list!) and narrowed it down a bit to the ones I could hear myself doing. Then I researched all the songs one by one to find versions in different languages and basically chose which ones I wanted to do based on what I could hear in my head. If I 'clicked' with a song and got that excited feeling, I knew it had to go on the album.


Question: Does one particular song hold special memories, for you?

Rachael Leahcar: My personal favourite is 'O Holy Night'. This has always been my favourite Christmas song. I remember singing it at many carols in the audience, then on stage as I grew into a singer. Everything seems to stand still when this song comes on and it makes many people emotional. I did a very special version too; as the song is originally in French, I paid homage to that by adding a French verse in the middle. I also put a saxophone solo in it for a bit of extra flare.


Question: Can you tell us about the dedication to RSB Guide Dog, Ella?

Rachael Leahcar: Ella is my 8 year old Golden Retriever. She is not only my guide dog, but she has been my companion almost 24/7 for 6 years. She's literally saved my life (not just once, I'm sure) and I don't know where I'd be without her. I commissioned an illustration by the very talented Adelaide artist, Rosanna Lam, depicting me with a Santa hat on and Ella with antlers, as she is like my little Rudolph guiding me through the dark. She is also the best judge of my music; with me through all the rehearsing, on stage and recording. I know when she likes a song because she'll come into the room and go to sleep but she'll walk out in a huff if she doesn't!


Question: What was it like working with Darren Mullan, Ben Whittington, Grace Bawden and Lara Nakhle?

Rachael Leahcar: They are all incredibly talented and diverse. Darren has so much character in his voice and I love his inflections and tone in Feliz Navidad. Ben was the perfect voice for a rock song like Jingle Bell Rock, a bit of a contrast to my own. Grace's opera voice shows her meticulous attention to detail in every note of O Tannenbaum/O Christmas Tree (with perfect German pronunciation!) and she just soars. Lara's vocals are pure perfection straight from the angels in Ave Maria and I'm glad she was able to come over to Adelaide from Sydney to work out all our parts in the studio and record with me in person. I thoroughly enjoyed working with them, not just because they're talented but genuinely lovely people.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Rachael Leahcar: There are a few staple artists I listen to all the time like Jewel, Eva Cassidy, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, Queen, Lady Gaga, Josh Pyke and Judy Garland. Randomly, I've been listening to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack lately! I've loved it since I studied the movie in Drama Studies in high school and I go back to it every now and then!

Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Rachael Leahcar: It was never really a choice for me; I just loved singing and that was it. I sung everywhere, including in primary school when I was meant to be quiet. I enjoyed being on stage because, being legally blind, I wasn't able to see the individual faces and this allowed me to focus on what I was singing. Soon, I realised the importance of being able to entertain as well as sing, so I practised this at home and at school concerts/charity events/competitions. I have always had a determination to prove myself because when you have a disability, people put so much focus on what you can't do rather than what you can. I entered many competitions and took every opportunity I could to gain experience in the industry, including saving up my money to release two amateur albums (2008 and 2010). I suppose it was the hunger within myself to do well that has always driven me. In my gap year, I said I would take a year to see how far I could get in the music industry. Along came The Voice and I haven't looked back. As long as I can continue on this path, I will.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Rachael Leahcar: Unfortunately, many of the artists I would desperately love to collaborate with have passed away (Judy Garland, Eva Cassidy and Freddie Mercury), but at the top of my list at the moment would be Lady Gaga, Pink or Conrad Sewell.


Question: What does Christmas day usually look like for you?

Rachael Leahcar: Usually I bounce out of bed with a big grin and wake up everyone else in the house. I'll usually go to visit one side of the family for lunch, do a 'boys and girls' gift lucky dip, then off to dinner with the other side of the family. There is likely to be a BBQ at both places and I always keep my fingers crossed for banana cream caramel tarts or pavlova.


Question: What's next for you?

Rachael Leahcar: Part of the fun of my industry is that it's unpredictable. It can be stressful but it's also exciting because sometimes the most exciting things pop up randomly and unexpectedly. For example, Ella and I have just been cast in the new BONDS Christmas campaign and a documentary of my life has just aired in New Zealand on Attitude TV. If nothing is scheduled, I will usually go looking for opportunities because I hate being bored. Once I've sought them out, I let them go in the wind. If they happen, great but if not, I move on to the next thing. This year, I completed a Radio School Intro course, so I'm thinking of applying for positions in radio next year. I would also love to focus on my singing students and perfecting my own technique a bit more. Lastly... I have being toying with the idea of a Christmas album volume 2, but this is probably a goal for the next couple of years!


Interview by Brooke Hunter