Claras Keen To Share Success

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/8025940/Claras-keen-to-share-success

New Zealand's Got Talent winner Clara van Wel says she is grateful the rest of New Zealand "can now share it with me", as she comes to terms with her new-found success.

Van Wel was crowned the winner in the show which was filmed on Thursday but aired last night.

"On Thursday it was all very full on but last night it kind of hit home that all of New Zealand was in on it too, and they could share it with me and know about it was really brilliant," she said.

And now she has found stardom, things are moving quickly.

Her winning single, Where Do You find Love, will be released on Friday.

As well as the single, which van Wel wrote herself, the digital bundle would include acoustic recordings of Between The Lines and Lines You Traced - two further original songs van Wel performed as her semi-final and audition pieces in the series, Sony Music New Zealand said.

Despite the whirlwind rush to get her first single out, van Wel said it still hadn't really sunk in.

"Absolutely not. I know it sounds silly but it's a dream come true. I never could have believed that something like this could happen.

"I don't think it ever will to be perfectly honest, it's just a dream come true. "

For winning NZGT, the 15-year-old Blenheim schoolgirl received a cash prize of $100,000, a recording contract and a new car.

A prolific songwriter who has already written nearly 50 tracks, van Wel has been singing and playing guitar from a young age. She won the Marlborough Smokefree Rockquest in 2011 and 2012.

She said inspiration for her first single came from the perception of love that books and movies often peddle.

"I think it came from, you know, all the books that I read and fantastical stories and romance and stuff like that, and wondering if anything like all those fantastical elements can exist in the same way."

Sony said van Wel would record a full length album in the New Year. It was due for release in February. Van Wel said talks for a tour had not yet happened, "but I'm sure we'll have some stuff nailed down in the future".

Van Wel said she was on exam leave, so had finished school for the year but couldn't wait to get back in touch with her friends and thank her family.

"I've actually got exam leave so I'm technically done for the year. But I'm looking forward to being able to talk to all my fabulous friends about it all.

"[My family are] all so fantastic, I couldn't have done it without them. They are so supportive and have been flying back and forth constantly but they've just been incredible, I just can't thank them enough."

On NZGT last night, van Wel could not believe she had been crowned the winner, saying "Can someone pinch me please?"

"This whole journey has just been amazing," she said.

Van Wel was chosen by a public vote, which included tens of thousands of text votes in the last days before the cut-off.

She said she hoped the public support continued long into her career
"I hope that all the support I've got from the public throughout the competition will carry on when we release the single then hopefully the album and they'll like what I've got to show them