91福利社

Myleene Klass

Musician and TV presenter, Myleene is no stranger to national talent searches, having beaten thousands of hopefuls to be a finalist in ITV1's Popstars, going on to be a member of the band Hear鈥橲ay.

Myleene's passion for music started early - she began playing the piano and the violin when she was four. She went on to study voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where she later graduated. Since splitting from Hear鈥橲ay, Myleene changed direction in 2003 releasing Moving On, her debut solo classical album which went to number two in the classical charts. In the last year she has released two classical No.1 albums, Myleene's Music for Romance and Myleene鈥檚 Music For Mothers.

A versatile television presenter, Myleene鈥檚 credits include both 91福利社 One's The One Show and New Year Live, while her fame was cemented by her appearance in the 2006 series of ITV1's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

鈥淲ell I鈥檝e always been involved in choirs whether it was a school choir, church choir, teaching in it, being in it, singing in it, playing in it. And when they approached me to see if I鈥檇 like to get involved in a show about choirs I just thought that it was going to be perfect.鈥�

What can viewers expect from Last Choir Standing?

鈥淚 think that it鈥檚 quiet deceiving because there are probably a few people who think 鈥榗hoirs, it鈥檚 not for me鈥�. Some people have an idea that choirs can be dull and it really isn鈥檛 the case. I mean I鈥檝e heard really clever arrangements of The Killers or Artic Monkeys and Take That - one gospel choir sang Take That and I was just so phenomenally impressed. And there is a reason why choirs have lasted for years because it鈥檚 quite fun singing as a group.鈥�

What are you looking for from the choirs taking part?

鈥淎 variety really because I would like the stereotypes to be broken down, it isn鈥檛 all about altar boys and people wearing cassocks. It鈥檚 about more of a community feel, getting together with your friends and singing.鈥�

From what you鈥檝e seen so far what鈥檚 impressed you about the choirs which have auditioned?

鈥淭he standard has been pretty phenomenal, it really has. And I think what I鈥檝e liked is the arrangements. There are songs that you wouldn鈥檛 necessarily think a choir was going to tackle and then someone comes out with an Annie Lennox piece or like I said before a Take That song. And you just think, wow, this is for everybody, it鈥檚 for the masses, it鈥檚 not just for people who think they鈥檙e going to sing some Bach or a Mozart Requiem.

鈥淧eople are putting together brilliant arrangements and putting their own take on it - a few dance moves, they鈥檝e made it fun. And I get the best job really because I don鈥檛 have to sit and judge, I get to sing with the choirs. When I got to sing with one choir it was fantastic, we were singing Pussycat Dolls and Abba鈥檚 Dancing Queen, it was just brilliant fun!鈥�

Have you got any advice for the choirs taking part?

鈥淚 think the only advice is that sometimes some of the choirs that were technically excellent didn鈥檛 seem to have the enjoyment factor, it was like let鈥檚 try and hit every single note correctly that you almost forget why you鈥檙e singing. The whole point of singing is that it鈥檚 meant to be a way of expressing yourself. It鈥檚 first and foremost about communication and telling a story and I think what鈥檚 been interesting for me is that people that didn鈥檛 necessarily sound so sharp on the tuning or maybe you just thought that technically they didn鈥檛 quite have the edge - yet because their story telling was so good and because the enjoyment factor was so high they went straight through.鈥�

Are you glad to be returning back to your musical roots with the show?

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever gone away from music. I presented the Classical Brits recently, before that I had another album out. I鈥檝e even just been presenting a programme on festivals, so a programme about world music and ska and things that I don鈥檛 really know much about but I never close myself to different genres of music. One of the scariest things I鈥檝e ever had to do was when I worked on a music programme and they sent me off to learn to rap. It was actually really entertaining and I still remember the rap because I practised it in the shower, I practised it everywhere.

鈥淎ll my work is around music, music is in my life every single day whether I鈥檓 playing the piano, singing nursery rhymes with Ava, presenting the Brits and now presenting this show.鈥�

Are you looking forward to working with Nick on the show?

鈥淚 love working with Nick. God, the amount of women, every time I say I鈥檓 working with Nick Knowles, women swoon and men ask me what sort of hammer does he use for this and what kind of drill does he use for that. So yes I鈥檓 looking forward to working with him and asking his advice on shelves, which I know really annoys him but he鈥檚 wise about these things! And he loves his music and he鈥檚 got a good sense of humour so I think we鈥檙e going to have a good laugh together without a doubt. And he does dad dancing. A choir will start up and before you know it there鈥檚 Nick dad dancing in the corner!鈥�