The Choirgirl Isabel

Described as the new Charlotte Church, 12-year-old Isabel Suckling became both the youngest ever classical artist and the first ever female chorister to sign a record deal. Born in London in 1988, Suckling moved to Tuscany soon after with her family after her celebrated wine critic father James landed a job there. After her parents separated, she moved back to England with her mother and, encouraged by her piano teacher, gained a choral scholarship at York Minster. After beating hundreds of contestants to win a nationwide search to find the most talented choirgirl, she signed a record deal with Decca in 2010 and was taken under the wing of former boy soprano and contemporary classical crossover artist Aled Jones. Her debut album, recorded in just six days, features renditions of popular hymns "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and "The Day Thou Gavest" alongside choral interpretations of pop songs by Michael Jackson, John Lennon, and Art Garfunkel, duets with mentor Jones and Britain's Got Talent finalist Liam McNally, and a track written by BBC choirmaster Gareth Malone. Released under the guise of the Choirgirl Isabel, her eponymous debut reached number 55 in the U.K.. Suckling also plays the cello, guitar, and piano to grade six standard, performed in front of the Queen at the Royal Festival of Remembrance, and supported Jones on his U.K. tour.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo