TORONTO, Ont. (andPOP) -
The pride of Ireland is going to hit North America next month. Carly Hennessy, though not a household name in the United States or Canada yet, has been in the spotlight her whole life on the other side of the world. She released a Christmas album at age 10. She appeared in the movie ?Fools of Fortune? with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. When she was 12, she appeared on a national ad campaign where her face was on billboards, bus stops, and trucks. In fact, she is a friend of the President of Ireland?s!
?She sends me Christmas cards,? Carly tells andPOP. ?Her children are big fans; they like the record. She flies me over sometimes. I?m used like a template for the kids of Ireland to show them that if you actually follow your dreams, [and] set a goal, you can achieve that.?
Carly beat out 2000 other people to play the role of Little Cosette in the international production of the musical "Les Miserables,? a part that she and her mom did not expect.
?I was the only one that went there that wasn?t in a drama school,? she says. ?I didn?t look like I was dressed for the occasion. Everybody else had black eyes, and big dresses, and I?m sitting there in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. My mom just kept saying, ?you?re probably not going to get it but it?s an experience.?? They cut the hopefuls to 1000, than 200, and finally 6. ?My mom was like ?this is amazing, this is amazing, you?re probably not going to make it though but it?s good experience.? I came out the door and I was like ?mom I got the part.??
She was born in Dublin, Ireland, but moved to Los Angeles with her father and manager Luke Hennessy at age 15. They went into the office of MCA Records President Jay Boberg where Carly sang for him, and impressed him so much that he signed her on the spot.
Living in Los Angeles for the past two years has been a big transition for Carly, especially the way she goes about her every day life.
?It?s completely different. I came from Ireland, [where] I?m in school, I?m living with my mom, and I have all my friends, and we go out every night, and we come home [late]. Then I come over here and all the kids have curfews! I?m not living with my parents, I have a job, [and] I have a big reputation to keep with the record company. It?s crazy. It?s a completely different life that I suddenly just stepped into. I love it and I?d never ever go back. It?s weird to see that 2 different continents can be so strange.?
With a musical career about to bloom, and an acting career in her past, Carly hopes to one day go back to acting, but only after she sets her mark on the music world.
?I?d like people to see all angles of me. I?d like people to see what I can do. From a musical point of view, I think when you?re acting, there?s a character you play. When it?s music, it?s you. There?s a whole lot more different elements you can explore. If you believe in yourself, you can open up your whole heart to people if you?re not afraid. When you look at an album as a whole, you can express who you are, you can have so much fun being a part of the music.?
Music is obviously the biggest part of her life presently. She describes her music as ?very urban, pop-rock, honest, [and] a collaboration of the voices I grew up with: Stevie Nicks, Chrissie Hynde, [and] Madonna. It?s got a lot of soul, it?s all live instrumentation, and it?s me.?
Her first single to be released to North America is ?I'm Gonna Blow Your Mind? which she explicates as ?wanting to impress somebody a lot. It was the first song that we ever recorded for the record. The first time I heard it, we were in London, and I just was like ?that?s the song, definitely.? To me, it?s the mould of the record. To me, that?s who I am.?
Critics, be forewarned: ?I?m not really afraid of what people think of me.? She digresses, ?I?ll embrace criticism and learn.?
?Ultimate High? is scheduled to hit record stores on October 30, 2001.
Win one of 5 autographed Carly Hennessy CD's.
