Posted: Wednesday 18th June 2008

Natasha Marsh is a Welsh operatic soprano who topped the classical album charts with her debut Amore in 2007. Recently Natasha was selected to record Queen Of The Night to be used in ITV's coverage of Euro 2008. We caught up with her to talk about the single, her passion for football and her new self-titled album.

1. How are you today?

I’m great: I’m happy to be home from my long tour. A bit tired too!

2. Tell us about your single ‘Queen Of The Night’.

ITV asked me to sing it for their title sequence for Euro 2008, which was very exciting. I recorded it about a month go and it’s stratospherically high – quite a scream! I can’t sing it the early in the morning, but it’s got great panache. It’s vocally acrobatic!

3. What can we expect from your album?

It’s a repackaged version on my album Amore, so it’s a mix of that album with new songs including Queen of the Night, opera and duets with great artists including Blake and Gardar Cortes.

4. You’re known for being a big football fan. How did you get into it?

I got into football through my family. My dad and my brothers were always at Vicarage Road – Watford’s ground, so I would go with them. Match of the Day was always on tv in our house and I remember watching the Euro tournaments and the World Cups. I’m definitely a footie girl!

5. How did you find singing the National Anthem at the 2008 Carling Cup final?

It was incredible, absolutely thrilling. It’s an amazing feeling standing in the tunnel, waiting to go out on the pitch. The tension was incredibly high- you know 90,000 people are waiting for the game and you can see the nerves in the footballers’ faces.

There are a lot of similarities between opera singers and footballers. Both have to be very disciplined and go through lots of coaching to develop their talent. Scoring a goal is like hitting a high note- there’s the same anticipation around it, there’s the same release afterwards. The audience/football crowd get goosebumps, tears and feelings of passion so there’s the same kind of reaction around it.

6. You’ve toured with G4, Russell Watson, Il Divo and Paul Potts. Who was your favourite and why?

Oh my god, I honestly don’t have a favourite. Touring with Il Divo was like touring with a mini continent because there was so much equipment and so many people in the crew. With Paul Potts it was just a few people and we were on a bus so it was more intimate. I got to know him really well and it’s been an incredible journey for him.

The crowds that go to Il Divo are very different to those who go to Paul Potts which made them different experiences. At Il Divo, it was mostly screaming women going mad for the good looking men. It was more mixed at Paul Potts as there were more men than at Il Divo and the age range was really wide – from 20 year olds to 70 year olds. A lot of people saw him on Britain’s Got Talent, so there were a lot of TV watchers in the audience.

7. Would you ever be tempted to record a pop album?

Yeah, I think so. It wouldn’t be so much of a pop album as a contemporary album. I know I’m not going to sound like Whitney Houston so I need to be careful with my voice and know my limits.

It can be very liberating not to be singing opera and older tunes, like those from the 60’s and 70’s, can lend themselves well to a classical voice.

8. Who are your heroes and why?

Stephen Fry really makes me laugh and I think he would be brilliant to invite for a dinner party. He’d be really interesting and funny.

Eva Cassidy – she left an incredible legacy of beautiful music that is untouchable. There’s an incredible poignancy to her voice.

9. What’s on your iPod at the moment?

Beth Rowley – I’ve just got her album and I love it. I saw her live at an underground gig in Shepherds Bush and I was knocked out by her voice.

I’m also listening to Coldplay and Corrine Bailey Ray. I’ve recently been introduced to Donny Hathaway’s music. He’s a soul singer who died a while ago, but he’s amazing and I like to listen to his music when I’m cooking.

10. What are your plans for the rest of 2008?

I’ve got loads of concerts coming up across the country. There are a lot of outside ones – Last Night of the Proms type stuff – where families, young people and old people have picnics. The atmosphere is great and I get to see their faces. I love those gigs.

I’ve really enjoyed working with so many artists this year and at so many different venues. One day I was recording in the studio with Graham Coxon from Blur on some of his new album tracks, the next in a theatre singing opera. I love the variety of performing to so many different audiences and events, it’s great.

Natasha’s single Queen of the Night is available now. Her album Natasha Marsh is out on 23 June.