Bring some magic to Christmas this year with Rachael Leahcar

Songstress Rachael Leahcar recently released a Christmas Album Together For Christmas

to get her fans into the Christmas spirit.

I had the opportunity to chat with Rachael about the album. And, by the way, it's a great album with some gorgeous tracks. My favourite is Ave Maria.

(D) This is your fifth album that features some of your favourite yuletides. Why did you decide to make your fifth album a Christmas one?

(R) I thought it was about time, as I’ve always loved singing these songs at events when I was little. I love the way these songs make me feel. Some of the songs can make us happy and joyful and at other times, they bring back memories of lost ones and makes us sad.

(D) You have produced this album featuring six different languages; can you fluently speak six languages?

(R) I can’t speak the languages I just learn the song in the language and I never sing a song if I don’t know what it means. I listen and practice a lot and pick up the details. For example, I watch others sing and notice what they do with their mouth. I actually sang O Xmas in an American accent. I started singing in English then Italian and picked up French and Spanish not long after. There were a few Christmas songs that I wanted to sing in German and Latin which was more difficult.

(D) Do you think being visually impaired makes you concentrate more on the sounds?

(R) Yes, I think so. Sometimes I have to learn quickly because I can’t read and sing at the same time; I can’t have written notes with me when I’m recording. Once I had to learn 7 songs the night before a recording and the more you practice using your memory the better it gets. In this instance I had to do it out of necessity.

(D) You have some pretty talented guests on the album too? Tell me about them.

(R) Yes, I worked with some amazing talent. Darren Mullan, for example had never sang in Spanish before and the producer of the album couldn’t even tell he had never sung in that language.

Ben Whittington is playing a lot of gigs in Adelaide and he has hardly ever had any singing lessons. He is on the track Jingle Bells Rocks with me.

Grace Bawden (Australia’s Got Talent) is an opera singer. She is Amazing and sings beautiful songs, her voice is like a bird.

Lara Nakhle (The Voice) is also legally blind. Lara come over from Sydney to Adelaide to record Ave Maria with me. Our version with two women is quite unique.

(D) You have dedicated Together For Christmas to your best friend Ella, your eight- year-old Golden Retriever. Tell me more about Ella.

(R) Ella has been my guide dog for 6 years and she is with my 24/7. We know what each other are feeling. When she’s at home she is just a regular dog and cheeky but when she’s out she is completed focused on keeping me safe. We work together as a team and I know I will always be safe with Ella. She’s been with me throughout all the years and recordings. She is my Rudloph on the album cover.

(D) What are the plans for your future?

(R) Being in music industry can be unpredictable. This year I attended radio school. Next year on Australia Day, I’m singing the National Anthem. I’m also concentrating on my singing students and I plan to do some travelling.

ABOUT TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS

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.

ABOUT RACHAEL LEAHCAR (Leahcar is Rachael spelled backwards by the way)

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.

For more information, please visit

www.rachaelleahcar.com.au