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'Music is a part of me'

 

Cookham singer and mum-of-four Renee Cullen has always had music in her life. And this week, she launches her new single,
Old Coast Road, 
dedicated to her dad, who tragically drowned in
a diving accident off the coast of Whangamata, New Zealand,
in 2003.
 I had a sneak preview of Renee's single the other evening, and wow, it's fantastic. It has a catchy, feel-good summer vibe
– and makes you feel like dancing…

​

I’m from New Zealand and my husband, Paul, who I met on Pall Mall in London, is from Australia. We moved to Cookham in December 2011, wanting more space for our growing family of four children.

   We feel very fortunate to have come into such a wonderful community. We love Cookham! It is such a beautiful part of England and the village and everyone in it make it even better. Whilst a small village, Cookham is renowned for its music, in particular world famous Mill Studios.

   My husband is founder and director of one of London's largest teaching agencies, Vibe Teacher Recruitment. We recruit teachers from all over the world, as well as the UK, and place them into London schools. Before Vibe, I was an aspiring actress and I also taught Performing Arts, English and Media Studies up to secondary school level.

   My mother was a country music singer, so there was always music in our home. A lot of my early childhood involved following her to practises, concerts and competitions throughout New Zealand. She would practise most week nights and on the weekend she would perform. She is my idol. As a child, I was in awe of my mother's singing. It is a very special feeling watching your mother up on stage captivating audiences. 

   Both my sister and brother sing, and most of my cousins are musicians in their own right. My father didn't sing, but he appreciated music. We loved car rides with my father, where he would always have his favourite music blaring through the speakers. We would sing along to The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Joe Cocker.

   Music is a part of me. It always surprises me when people tell me how much they love my singing. I sing for the love of singing and that is all.

   I started singing on stage at the age of four. The first song I ever sung 'live' was a country song called Delta Dawn. It wasn't really appropriate for a four-year-old, however, my mum said I heard it and wanted to sing it. It is a very personal thing, to sing in front of an audience. Growing up, especially in my teenage years, I became very self-conscious. When I was little, I didn’t have a care in
the world. As a teenager, I used to take every criticism to heart. Now I don’t.
I realised that not everyone is going to dig your thing – and that's OK. You can’t go through life trying to please everyone. 

   I studied drama at university. Breathing and voice projection is really important for an actor - especially in theatre. This also helps with singing. During my
drama degree I decided I wanted to take up teaching as well,
so I took up a secondary school teaching degree. I have an amazing voice coach in Notting Hill who I wish I saw more of - I actually haven’t seen her in nearly six months due to not having enough time! She played a huge part in my decision to sing more to an audience. Seeing her is more like going to therapy.

   My first big moment was not in front of an audience. It was actually with my voice coach. It was very emotional for me. Over the years, I had lost a lot of confidence. Having someone who has had number one hits throughout the world telling you that they could listen to you all day - it was very emotional. Before I went to her, I wasn’t even sure I could sing.

   Recently, I have been singing at local events, like the Cookham Christmas Fair and the  Media Hub. Over the past 10 years, I have also sung at weddings all over the world. Singing at weddings is such a wonderful experience. And now I've launched my single. 

   Old Coast Road is produced by British record producer and audio engineer, Stuart Epps, who has worked with many artists including Elton John, Led Zeppelin and Oasis. Old Coast Road is the first single to be released from
my debut EP, set for release next year. 

   It is ultimately a memoir about my family and the long summer days we would spend by the sea. Its an easy-listening feel-good summer tune, which should appeal to all ages. It just makes me think of home, family and summer!

   I also sing at the Bel & the Dragon in Cookham on the last Wednesday of every month. This started as an event for local mums to have a girls' night out, however, some weeks there are as many men as women! It is always a fun night, so come along.

 

Renee's single is available to download from iTunes and all good music suppliers from the 30th of November. Look out for the Music video also available to watch on You Tube from the 30th of November!

For all other information: www.reneecullen.com

 

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