Karl Loxley

By Natasha Barbieri

Karl Loxley burst onto the classical crossover scene with his ringing version of the ‘Nessun Dorma’ on BBC One’s ‘The Voice.’  But Karl’s musical journey goes back to when he was seventeen and first began singing. “I had the opportunity to play Jean Valjean in my school production of Les Misérables and I could just about sing in tune. So, I had to choose between driving lessons or singing lessons, so I went for the driving lessons…. just kidding I went for the singing lessons and the moment I sang ‘Bring Him Home’ I knew that singing was going to be my path for life.”

Karl continued his training and received a full scholarship to the prestigious Guildford School of Acting where he studied Musical Theatre. “Whilst I was there my singing teachers had me sing a variety of songs from musicals, pop songs, opera and even rock music! I really enjoyed singing the legit, classical crossover kind of songs so I stuck with that.”

Like many young budding crossover singers, Karl got his ‘big break’ on a reality television show. “Appearing on ‘The Voice’ was a great opportunity for me. I didn’t win the show, but it has changed my life. I now work full-time as a professional singer since the show and I get to travel the world performing my concerts as well as performing around the UK in some of the greatest venues.”

Judge Tom Jones also helped to mentor Karl. “I was very lucky to spend some time with Sir Tom Jones. I got to meet his family and I also got to have a few singing lessons with him. When the cameras are on and when they are turned off he is still Tom. I asked him about singing technique and he talked to me about controlled breathing whilst singing which is how he sings the big notes and maintains his voice. I love to discuss singing technique with other people. I think the voice is full of mystery and we all each have our own unique voice which I think is truly special.”

Some of Karl’s favorite ways to keep his own voice in top shape are rest, water, and lip trills. “It helps with breath control and warms up the voice without overdoing it. The voice is a muscle and must be stretched like you would if you were running a marathon.”

The reason for his continued success is not only Karl’s innate musical ability but the enthusiasm from his supporters. In fact, Karl has been one of the most requested artists to appear in our magazine!  “Many of the people who have supported my career have come from when I used to busk regularly in Stratford-upon-Avon. The people who saw me told their friends and family and helped to get my name out there. Word of mouth is the best tool for any singer. If you support an artist simply sharing their videos on social media and telling a friend about them is the best way to get them known. I don’t like the word ‘fans’ because I feel that creates a barrier between them and the artist. Everyone who comes to support me is a friend. I always do a meet and greet after my shows because I like to thank everyone for coming to support me. Without the people there is no audience and there are no albums. The people who support me have allowed me to live my dream and I am forever thankful to them.”

After the Voice, Karl released his album ‘Everything I Am.’ He says, “I wanted to release an album as so many people supported me on the show. The album was recorded with 42 musicians from The Glasgow Philharmonic Orchestra. The album features lots of different songs from ‘Unchained Melody’, ‘Your Song’, ‘Bring Him Home’ and ‘Nessun Dorma’ as well as the first song I ever wrote ‘Everything I Am’ which was the title song for the album. To record an album with 42 musicians was only possible because lots of wonderful people supported and pre-ordered my album on PledgeMusic. Thank you once again for giving me the chance to record it!”

Karl is also planning a new recording soon. “I’m currently in the planning stages for my new album. The album will be recorded with The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The same orchestra that has been used to record for Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Adele and has also provided the soundtrack for many films. It will feature a variety of songs from Classical Crossover, Musical Theatre, Movies and I’m currently working on an original song for the album. I will be aiming to launch my new album into the UK Classical Album Chart. With your help of pre-ordering today, I could reach that number one spot!”

When it comes to learning new music Karl shares. “When learning a piece of music, I sometimes like to listen to a recording and I always try and look at the sheet music. I’m not the strongest sight reader at all but it certainly helps to see the flow of a song and it also helps me to learn the lyrics. When I wrote my Christmas song ‘See the Lights’ I had this melody in my head for like a year. I just kept humming this tune and eventually decided I had to turn it into a song. I then started to look at chords and create a structure for the song.”

The Voice continues to make an impact on Karl’s career. He will soon be sharing the stage with fellow season four contestant, Lucy O’Bryne. He shares this about the upcoming show: “I’m so excited to be performing with Lucy O’Byrne. This will be the first time myself and Lucy have performed together since singing ‘Memory’ in front of 9 million viewers on ‘The Voice’. Lucy will be singing some fantastic numbers from musicals she has starred in and we will, of course, be singing a duet…I wonder what it could be?”

Karl & Lucy will be performing at The Albany Theatre in Coventry on Friday, June 22^nd. Tickets are available at www.albanytheatre.co.uk or by calling the Box Office on 024 7699 8964

You can Pre-order Karl’s new album here: pledgemusic.com

Natasha Barbieri, Editor

Editor

Creator of Classical Crossover Magazine. For Natasha music has always been closely tied to her faith. At age 18, Natasha made her opera debut playing the part of the mother in Menotti’s ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ with the Eastern Festival Opera. At 20, she was a winner of the 2011 Young Artist Competition at Andrews University. Natasha graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Music. Natasha has released a series of Holiday singles “A Place Called Home” (2020), “One Little Boy,” and “The Perfect Year” (2021). In 2021, she was nominated for the ‘Future Classic Women Awards’ show on Men’s & Women’s Radio Station. Natasha is the creator and editor of ‘Classical Crossover Magazine’ a venture that has allowed her to interview many of the top stars in the genre including Sarah Brightman, Celtic Woman, Mirusia, Paul Potts, and more. During the covid-19 pandemic, she created an online concert series for the magazine that has seen her perform in the same line-up as Alex Sharpe, Lucy Kay, Barbara Padilla, Classical Reflection, and more on the virtual stage. In 2022, Natasha was included on the charity album “Stars of Classical Crossover: Christmas” in benefit of the Wallace & Gromit Children’s Charity.