{"id":134143,"date":"2025-05-26T20:39:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T20:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/134143\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T20:39:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T20:39:08","slug":"interview-hadley-fraser-on-performing-at-cadogan-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/134143\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Hadley Fraser on performing at Cadogan Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As Hadley Fraser prepares for his biggest solo concert to date at London\u2019s Cadogan Hall, he reflects on a journey that began with a love of music and drama \u2014 and a touch of serendipity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had half an eye on being a journalist,\u201d Fraser admits. \u201cAnd I\u2019d like to have opened the bowling for England, but I suppose you end up where you\u2019re supposed to be.\u201d That path led him to the Royal Academy of Music, where he completed a postgraduate course in musical theatre. \u201cI haven\u2019t looked back, to be honest,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n&nbsp
\n&nbsp<\/p>\n

&nbsp
\n&nbsp<\/p>\n

Reflecting on a career that includes major West End roles and screen appearances, Hadley is characteristically humble. \u201cIf you\u2019d asked me at 21, I don\u2019t think I would have believed this is where I\u2019d be now. I\u2019ve done a nice mix of musicals and plays, plus some screen work and recorded music. You have to continually check yourself and make sure you\u2019re not taking it for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Fraser is stepping into the spotlight solo \u2014 almost. \u201cIt\u2019s certainly the biggest concert I\u2019ve ever done,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve done smaller-scale things before\u2026 but I\u2019ve never taken on a big concert hall of my own.\u201d The concert at Cadogan Hall coincides with the release of his new album<\/a>, which came out in February. \u201cWe had always wanted to do an accompanying launch gig\u2026 when Cadogan Hall came along, it felt like a natural fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The venue holds a special place in Hadley\u2019s heart. \u201cIt can be quite a magical space\u2026 it manages to be both epic and quite intimate at the same time.\u201d That duality mirrors the tone of the album itself, which Hadley describes as \u201cquite melancholic\u2026 about loss a lot of the time, or longing, or hope \u2014 whether that\u2019s in vain or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album\u2019s genesis is rooted in collaboration. \u201cA lot of it has to do with a colleague and friend who wanted me to provide some music for a recorded spoken word project.\u201d Though that project is still in development, the music found a life of its own. \u201cWe decided to release this as an album because we felt like it could stand on its own two feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hadley credits arranger and pianist Sam Young with shaping the album\u2019s sound. \u201cWhen I sat down with him and said we want this to feel kind of fresh and contemporary\u2026 he came back with some amazing arrangements.\u201d The result is a collection of songs reimagined with a modern sensibility. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to just dial it back to the \u201950s and do another swing album.\u201d The partnership with Sam Young has been a creative cornerstone. \u201cBasically, Sam tells me what is good and I do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concert will feature the full album, plus a few surprises. \u201cThere\u2019ll be some from albums past and some other little surprises\u2026 some new material.\u201d Hadley will be joined by three guest stars: Natalie May Paris, Maiya Quansah-Breed, and his wife, Rosalie Craig. \u201cShe didn\u2019t take too much persuading! If you don\u2019t want to come for me, come for them!\u201d Hadley laughs.<\/p>\n

\n&nbsp
\n&nbsp<\/p>\n

&nbsp
\n&nbsp<\/p>\n

Each guest brings a unique connection. \u201cMaiya sang on the album\u2026 Sam and I sat there in the studio pinching ourselves when she was recording.\u201d Natalie is a long-time collaborator. \u201cI always knew I wanted her to be a part of this concert.\u201d And Rosie? \u201cWe\u2019re going to sing some songs from my very first studio recording\u2026 it\u2019s going to be really special to sing those tunes in particular \u2014 we\u2019re doing them for our daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balancing rehearsals with a current run in the West End has been a logistical feat. \u201cThe gig was already planned before I joined\u00a0The Deep Blue Sea<\/a>\u2026 so I thought, right, I\u2019d better see how I can make this work.\u201d Fortunately, the musicians are familiar with the material. \u201cThey all played on the album\u2026 hopefully they all remember it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hadley is especially excited to perform \u201cI Get Along Without You Very Well.\u201d \u201cSam\u2019s done the most luscious string arrangement.\u201d Another highlight will be \u201cFly Me to the Moon,\u201d and a duet with Natalie from one of their favourite musicals. As the concert approaches, Fraser is focused on the joy of live performance. \u201cMusic is a live medium really, isn\u2019t it?\u2026 there\u2019s no substitute for going and seeing music live.\u201d He\u2019s eager to share the album in its \u201cnatural home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production team, including Fourth Wall and Westway Music, has been instrumental. \u201cThey\u2019ve both been great\u2026 I\u2019m looking forward to hopefully seeing a few of them on the night and toasting the album and the live show.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for anyone still on the fence about attending? Hadley has a simple message: \u201cDon\u2019t miss it. It\u2019s going to be a fantastic evening of music at one of London\u2019s most iconic music venues\u2026 come and hear some beautiful, beautiful, beautiful music. I don\u2019t think people will regret it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hadley Fraser is in concert at Cadogan Hall on Sunday 15th June 2025. Tickets are on sale here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This article contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134144,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,58951,393,4884,47572,257,58952,58953,58954,58955,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-134143","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-cadogan-hall","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-hadley-fraser","13":"tag-london","14":"tag-maiya-quansah-breed","15":"tag-natalie-may-paris","16":"tag-rosalie-craig","17":"tag-things-that-come-and-go","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114576068627224338","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}