Last Choir Standing

21st July 2008

Get all the backstage gossip with Myleene's weekly blog:

Here she talks about the first heat show and how it felt to say goodbye to the first three choirs:

Hello!

"Hi there everyone, I hope you enjoy my first blog!

"Oh my goodness what a day! It started off like a party because all the choirs arrived either from their hotel or on the bus, and they were really excited... finally the day had come!

"But then suddenly the atmosphere became really tense - to the point where I could feel my stomach turning. You forget I can see their families. It's no longer a case of these anonymous faces in the audience - I know what Mum thinks and I know what the founder of the choir might think, I know what they've been through, so it all adds to the emotion and the nerves."

"The highs for me this week have been seeing such a surprising mix of choirs singing in different styles - we've got everything! And it's a great way to show off how good British choirs really are.

"The other really nice thing was seeing the massive support from the audience. They were all cheering for each other and crying for other people's choirs.

Nick's special cologne!

"Also - it's been really fun working with Nick. I spend half my time running around trying to find him, and I must tell you about my special way of tracking him down... He's got a special cologne which you put on a chamois leather, wave around in the air and it helps to cool you down as the studios get really, really hot. It's a tactic that's been used since the 50's! So when I need to find him I go smelling for the cologne and there's Nick and his chamois!

"The lows have been watching people go home. They've come on this journey and you know what it means to each of them and they've all got their own individual circumstances of course. It means different things to different people and it would change their lives in different ways.

The choirs

"There are so many different characters in this show! Delishia from Dreemz is an inspirational young lady. She's articulate, she's clever and I think she'll go a long way. This might not be her chance but it's inspired her in different ways and already she's thinking about a career in the media.

"I have a real soft spot for the Alleycats, especially Rebecca. She's an extremely intelligent woman and she writes such complex harmonies. On that music level alone, she has immense ability and has guided that choir fantastically. I heard one of them hugging her saying "you should be proud" - I just hope she believes that and I hope that she doesn't think that she's let anyone down because she's a killer combination of beauty AND brains. It's been a privilege to meet her.

"The Brighton Gay Men's Chorus are a character en masse! I've thoroughly enjoyed them, because they've broken down what I suppose a lot of people would consider stereotypes, and I think they rose to the occasion. They tightened up their act, every single one of them and the choreography was so sharp. You can see they wanted it so badly and they'd put the hours in. I really did admire the journey they'd been on.

"And then there's Perri the Maths teacher from Sense of Sound. When I found out that losing her husband was what led her to become a choir mistress and to lead others in voice and song, you just think - from bad situations good things happen. She's helped so many people and given so many other people hope."

The judges' decision

"There are always going to be people who say 'well it should have been us, it should have been them'. It's very easy to let your heart rule your head, and I'm one of those people that does - I think as a musician you have to otherwise it becomes too mathematical and you lose all the emotion.

"Sense of Sound, technically, were phenomenal. The arrangement of 'Cry Me A River' had great syncopated rhythms and different levels. Nobody out-sings anybody and they're all very versatile singers. They're going to be tough to beat.

"Ysgol are also technically phenomenal. I can't think of a time when I've heard them sing sharp or flat, and rhythmically they're together. I'd like to see them sing with a bit more passion though.

"So that's our first two choirs through to the Knockout stage... I just can't wait to see what happens in the next heat!

Love

Myleene x

P.S - Don't forget to find out what Nick thought about the first heat show in his weekly blog!