A singer who has spent five years touring the globe is looking to create a new kind of music with her own album.

Hayley Griffiths, who grew up in Langley Vale Road and now lives in Ashtead, is the lead singer in the Riverdance and Lord of the Dance shows.

Miss Griffiths, 23, described her life as “living out of a suitcase”.

She said: “I've seen nearly every state in America, I’ve seen China and now I’m doing a European tour.”

Not content, however, with performing before the Emperor of Japan and in the Kremlin in Moscow, Miss Griffiths has dedicated her free time to jetting off to Boston to write material of her own.

Separated by Glass, her first single, has just been released online and a full album will follow in the autumn.

Working with producers who have written for the likes of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and Ne-Yo, Miss Griffiths said her album would have a “refreshing” style, with Celtic-style vocals mixed with “edgy” beats.

She said: “I’m not trying to be another pop star. I’m trying to be something new and different, with every track having a movie soundtrack feel.”

Miss Griffiths’ career started early. She took up singing lessons age six when her mother told her to “do something productive” instead of constantly singing around the house.

Her first paid job came a year later in a pantomime at the Richmond Playhouse. By her mid-teens she had sung in a choir at St Paul's Cathedral and in Prague and was acting alongside Geraldine Somerville and Sian Philips in a BBC period drama.

She said she hoped her success would show Epsom youngsters things can happen.

She said: “At the end of the day, you're in control of your own destiny and if you want something badly enough you can get it.”

The singer warned, however: “It has not by any stretch of the imagination been easy. You have to be driven, and you have to be passionate about what you do.”

Miss Griffiths said despite her travel habit her heart remains at home. “The worst thing has always been being away from friends and family and you miss an awful lot, like weddings and Christmases.”

But she added: “Last January I performed in front of 20,000 people in Taiwan. It's such a buzz and that’s why it’s worth it.”

Separated by Glass is available for download on various sites, including iTunes and Amazon.

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