Teen sensation Hayley Westenra, an 18-year-old New Zealander with an angel's voice, is eager to show the classical crossover world just how much she's grown up. 'I wanted to make an album that represented me as a person,' Westenra says of her new CD, Odyssey, which she'll be show-casing during a brief promotional stop in Hong Kong. 'An album with lots of different emotions and something that reflects the many styles of music I enjoy.' Spanning the musical spectrum from classical to folk, hymns and pop, Westenra has certainly broadened her outlook. 'I look for a personal connection,' she says. 'I choose all the songs I record for my albums, so it's what moves me and inspires me to want to sing it. I have to sing these songs for two years, so I have to really love them. 'This is why I've started writing for myself, as well as covering songs I feel attracted to. I would never record a song just because I was told it would make my albums sell more.' Her confidence can be at least partly attributed to her performances in some of the world's finest venues (such as the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House), alongside some of the world's best (such as Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti), and to audiences that have included heads of state and royalty. More down-to-earth music fans can hear Westenra free of charge at Festival Walk on Sunday as part of her Odyssey Asian tour. Westenra's perfect pitch was recognised by a teacher when she was just six years old. 'Since then I always wanted to be a singer, or rather, dreamed of being a singer,' she says. 'The great thing about New Zealand is that, as a child, there are always local musicals you can apply to be in, and I auditioned for as many as I could.' By the time she was 11, Westenra had featured in 40 amateur musical productions, and by 12 she had made her first foray into the recording studio. Performing in local plays and busking on the streets (a great way to earn pocket money, she says), Westenra's ethereal timbre quickly attracted the attention of major labels. At 15, she recorded her debut album, Pure, which has since sold more than two million copies worldwide. Released in 2003, Pure went to No1 on the British classical charts and hit the top 10 in the pop equivalent. Since entering the global limelight, Westenra seems to be handling the demands of a touring artist with composure. 'Not much about me has changed, hopefully,' she says. 'It's all happened so fast, and I still go to places where people are only just hearing my music. I'm really busy all the time singing, touring and doing promotions. But as I'm lucky to be able to even say that, I wouldn't change anything. 'The only real pressure is that there was less time to prepare this album, as it had to be recorded while I was still promoting the last album. I would like to have had time to write more songs for it, but ... there's always next time.' Westenra is no stranger to this city, having served as an ambassador for Save the Children Hong Kong. 'There's such a mixture of traditional and new influences sitting side by side. But it's always unmistakably Hong Kong.' Hayley Westenra, Sun, 3pm, Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong, free. Inquiries: 2301 5829