After spending four years in the UK, the first one studying and the rest in unsuccessful auditions for the main musicals, Rachel Fabri decided to give her dream and London a break and return to Malta for six months.
“I had been through loads of auditions, most of which I was very close to getting,” says Ms Fabri, 25.
That, coupled with her unpleasant living conditions, led her to take a break and by the end of May all of her things were in boxes after being shipped back to Malta.
Before coming to Malta, however, she went for her fifth audition as high soprano – her highest note is a G “on a good day” – for the British girl group All Angels, whose previous high soprano had left to pursue opera singing.
The group, founded in 2006, had garnered fame for its renditions of classical, pop and opera tunes in lush vocal harmonies, and its eponymous debut album entered the charts at number nine.
When Ms Fabri got back to Malta, boxes still unpacked, she got the call informing her she had been chosen. “I was thrilled and I moved back up,” Ms Fabri said, now having spent six months as part of the group.
Ms Fabri had left to the UK to read for a Masters in musical theatre at 21 and after finishing the course at Guildford, she decided to move to the capital, where she auditioned for musicals while supporting herself by teaching.
“I got very close to getting the part in a couple of musicals, where it was just me and another girl, who ended up being chosen because she was better suited to the other actor – which is important, but still trivial,” the singer said.
For All Angels, however, Ms Fabri ticked all the right boxes. “I don’t think I would have been chosen if I were a shocking blonde,” she said, confessing that at times she had to straighten her “very very curly hair” to blend in better with the other three girls.
Working as a singer in a big country, Ms Fabri has performed at venues which could host Birkirkara’s entire population.
“We did this amazing tour in collaboration with the Young Voices choir, the largest children’s choir in the world... and we were one of the three main guests on the show, so we got to do this arena tour around the UK – Manchester Arena, O2 Arena, Royal Albert Hall – I think one of my highlights was boogying with (X-Factor winner) Alexandra Burke on stage during a Michael Jackson medley,” she says, her eyes lighting up.
The future is now bright for the Maltese singer. The group is set to enter the studio to record an album next year under the AWOL record label, after leaving the Decca label.
In the meantime, the group has recorded five tracks with the new line-up, which has a track list that manages to fit in a Christmas medley along with a cover of Muse.
And even though she studied musical theatre, Ms Fabri is feeling at home – “I finally found my niche”.
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