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| Making your journey musical: Hadar Manor playing at a London underground. All pic @ Hadar Manor |
The London underground is often regarded as a haven
for upcoming music artists. It is here that the cacophony of screeching trains
and the mechanical clatter of the escalators combine well with the drumming,
strumming and singing of hundreds of performers who come out every day, vying
for the attention (and tips) of thousands of commuters who travel daily using
trains. It was among these hundreds of buskers that one voice stood out and
made a successful transition from busking to recording and winning a million
hearts in the process.
Hadar Manor, famously referred to as the Queen of
the Underground, is a woman of many talents. She is a busker, a songwriter, a
composer, a producer and above all a doting mother.  |
| Finding her strength in music: Hadar Manor |
Sharing the highlights of her musical journey, Hadar says, “I started my journey when I was 21 years old. I came
to London with just an old second-hand guitar and four songs to my name. I
started busking on the South Bank of the river Thames. Then someone told me
about auditions to get a license to busk on the underground.”
The time spent busking on the underground, Hadar
says was an amazing time of her life. “Busking underground was definitely an
upgrade as I met some great people and was invited to collaborate and play with
some very talented musicians. Some were already well known musicians like dance
legend Sandy Rivera and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran,” Hadar says.
Coming from a small village in Israel and serving
with the Israeli army at the age of 20, Hadar would have hardly imagined that
her life as a training officer for medics would turn out to be the perfect
prelude to her life as a musician. Yet, it was this experience and the
influence of 60′s and 70′s British Rock ‘n roll that she listened to during her
teenage years that flowed into her lyrics too. “My days at the army inspired me
to take up music as it helped me pour emotions into my lyrics. The song itself
could be about a few experiences, however they all carry a similar emotional
intention,” Hadar says.
Armed with all this experience and singing songs of
the life of an ‘urban gypsy’, Hadar certainly knew how to brighten up the
monotonous commute of many London workers. And it was these people and many
more who voted her the Queen of the Underground – a competition that crowns the
best busker among London Underground’s licensed buskers. “Winning that title
meant that for the first time in my life I had the opportunity to go into a
professional studio and cut an album. The result was the birth of Crossing
London – my debut album,” says the singer.
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| Queen of Underground |
Though Hadar continued busking even after the album
release, it was the birth of her son Leo Elvis Thomas in 2011 that inspired her
to take the plunge from being a busker to a signed artist. “Busking gives you a
sense of freedom, yet I wanted to do bigger things rather than just stay
underground. Becoming a mother changed everything. From an urban gypsy, I
became a responsible mother.” Even a wandering soul settles down sometimes, she
stresses in between. “I always wondered if I’ll be able to keep creating once I
have a family. To my surprise, I’ve become more creative after the birth of my
son,” she says.
Since then, Hadar has become a completely
independent musician, putting in all her saving from busking to build a home
studio – teaching herself and vowing to write, record and produce a song for
each month of her life, starting with the January song. Now, a year into being
solo, Hadar recently released her second album – The Year & Now – with 12
songs, each for every month.
Terming the album, the diary of her life, Hadar
says, the experience has enriched her as a person. “It was a great opportunity
to reflect on the past few weeks and then months. There were times when I
thought of giving up, yet I believe you just got to get on with things. I love
this whole process of having an idea to writing the song and then recording and
producing it. It’s so satisfying. Giving up, did I say?” she smiles.
