Celtic Woman: From left to right Lisa Kelly, Chloë Agnew, Alex Sharpe, Máiréad Nesbitt, and Lynn Hilary
She's the new woman in Celtic Woman. And fans are still getting to know her.
She hasn't appeared on the DVDs or PBS specials. She hasn't sung on most of the CDs. Many fans don't even know her name (It's Lynn Hilary, by the way).
"People see me and they say 'Who's that?'" Hilary says and laughs.
Things have gotten better, though. "Now I consider myself nearly a member," she says.
That "nearly" status could change to full membership this summer, when Celtic Woman - the Irish singing group that's become a worldwide sensation - hopes to record its next PBS special.
When that happens, fans will see Hilary's face and get to know her better. They'll probably even learn her name. They can get an early start Wednesday and Thursday, when Celtic Woman appears at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in south Fort Myers.
Still, Hilary says she's not too hung up on name recognition. She's just happy to have a job.
"I was absolutely over the moon to take it," the 27-year-old Dublin woman says. "It's great fun."
Hilary replaced singer Meav Ni Mhaolchatha. And, actually, she's not even the newest new woman in Celtic Woman. Since she started in August 2007, they've added Alex Sharpe, who replaced Lisa Kelly.
"I'm the old dog," Hilary says and laughs.
Hilary isn't a stranger to popular Irish stage shows, though. She was a lead vocalist for "Riverdance" before joining Celtic Woman.
Still, "Riverdance" focused more on the dancers, and Hilary was always able to fade into the background. Now the naturally shy Hilary is up front and center in a flowing ball gown, belting out Irish numbers such as "Dulaman" and "Carolina Rua."
"You adjust to things," she says. "Sometimes it's good to be thrown in the deep end. Now I enjoy myself and I'm a lot more relaxed."
In just four years, Celtic Woman has sold more than 4 million CDs and DVDs and gone on seven U.S. tours, according to the group's publicist. The three PBS specials have aired more than 13,650 times in 685 stations. Billboard magazine named the group its No. 1 Top World Music Artist.
Hilary isn't quite so sure why Americans love Irish music so much.
But she's glad they do.
Celtic Woman's Isle of Hope tour features new songs as well as old folk favorites such as "Danny Boy" and "The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun." The show also features the new anthem "In America" - which Hilary says they sing as a personal tribute to their U.S. fans.
"It's kind of a thank you to America," she says. "It's for taking us in and giving us a job all these years."
Lynn Hilary
"You adjust to things. Sometimes it's good to be thrown in the deep end. Now I enjoy myself and I'm a lot more relaxed."
By CHARLES RUNNELLS
news-press.com
Fort Myers, FL
May 22, 2009
