For Emma Hatton – West End star, renowned singer and radio presenter – music truly is the food of love.
A lifetime devotee of jazz and blues she has trod the boards all over the UK and internationally, wowing audiences with her velvet tones. For Hatton, however, there is one major project she has been keeping under wraps – until now.
On Tuesday, the first episode of her brand new podcast, Dear Music, drops on all platforms and she could not be more excited.
Hatton says ‘Dear Music has been years in the making. To me, music is the most powerful form of expression we have – it touches us all from the moment we arrive on this earth to our departing day. It moves and inspires, reflecting our moods and emotions in the most extraordinary way. Nothing else comes close.’
Emma Hatton collects the This Morning Audience Award for Wicked at the Olivier Awards 2015 (Photo: Pamela Raith)
The idea was born when Hatton, as an ambassador of music charity Nordoff Robbins, realised there were few conversations out there about the enduring power of music. After a great deal of research and brainstorming, Hatton hit upon the concept of inviting guests from all spheres to write their own love letter to music, which forms the heart of the discussion about the enduring impact music continues to have on their lives.
Vital to Hatton was the need to interview a wide range of people: ‘It’s inevitable that musicians will always wax lyrical about their passion. I wanted to open up the subject to explore how music affects us all, from sportsmen and women to educators, children to adults.’
First in the hot-seat is Mario Jose – whom Hatton toured with as fellow members of Post Modern Jukebox – and it makes for an emotional listen. Hatton also shines the spotlight on underfunded charities using music to brighten lives.
She says ‘For many, participating in musical activities gives them a sense of belonging and community, offering them a world outside of their own immediate circumstances in which they can both lose and Gind themselves. And music therapy should never be underestimated in terms of the improvements it can bring to a multitude of lives.’
It is clear from the trailer, already available to stream and download, how passionate Hatton is about her subject matter and how eloquently she speaks on the topic so close to so many hearts. New episodes will land fortnightly and Hatton is aiming to reach both her existing fan-base and a whole new audience of music lovers. You can also find her covering for Ruthie Henshall on Magic of the Musicals for Magic FM starting this Saturday.
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