Celia Pavey, also known as Vera Blue, began her ascent into popularity with an angelic rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair/Canticle”.
The Sydney-based songwriter grew up in Forbes, New South Wales, with her parents, who inspired her musical tastes. Celia’s mother played the piano while her father was a lover of Celtic-style melodies. Being of an Irish background, her parents instilled the love of folk music into their daughter early on.
“I played the violin from the age of five to seventeen, performed in church and sang duets with my sister at fairs,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“My parents usually played folky music,” she told Cream Magazine. “We have an Irish background so when I was little we would watch The Riverdance and that sort of stuff… I remember my parents playing a lot of Simon & Garfunkel and Fleetwood Mac, and I love that sort of folky vibe.”
“My favorite thing is the feeling I get when I sing. It’s just a very powerful feeling that I can’t really explain. I just love what I do, and it’s all about the love for the music.”
When Celia got older, she enrolled in the Australian Institute of Music, and it was during her time there, as a student, that she auditioned for the second season of The Voice Australia. For her performance, Celia chose to sing Simon & Garfunkel’s classic hit “Scarborough Fair/Canticle”.
In what has since become The Voice Australia’s most popular blind audition, Celia takes the stage with her guitar and begins to sing.
Her voice is smooth and angelic— and it takes, I kid you not, literally five seconds for judge Delta Goodrem to hit the buzzer.
“Scarborough Fair” is a song about someone asking a third-party to relay a message to their former love. In the song, the person requests their ex do impossible tasks, like making a shirt without seams and washing it in a dry well; “Then she shall be a true love of mine,” the lyrics explain.
Although the song was popularized by Simon & Garfunkel in 1965, it has been around since the 18th century. In fact, its Dorian mode melody is very representative of the middle English musical style— and it was the perfect selection for Celia to display her skills. Still, despite the success of her audition, the singer later said:
“It was fun doing covers, and cover work is really good for artists to practice, but I was really excited to get my own composition’s out there. And I can’t wait to do more of that.”
One by one, the judges hit their buzzers. As they listen to the girl’s magical voice, they shake their head in disbelief.
“Celia, that is the best performance we have seen,” Delta tells the girl when she is finished. “The second you opened your mouth, it was like something magical just happened. And I really want you to know how magical you absolutely are… That was truly a magnificent performance.”
“I was listening to you and angels were talking to me,” Ricky Martin adds.
Celia went on to win third place in the competition and now performs under the stage name Vera Blue. Still, despite all of her success, she’s best known for this stunning performance.
Since being uploaded to YouTube, Celia’s audition has been viewed more than 10 million times.
“this is what mermaids sounds like”
“She looks and sounds like a freaking elf from lord of the rings. Truely amazing <3”
“‘Angels talking to me’— I love that and it’s so true. I felt that too. Celia’s voice and personality and soul is connected to something bigger than all of us. I can’t believe I just typed that— I am not even religious— but when I hear a voice like that I feel a connection to something not of this world.”
See it for yourself below!
