Vanessa Mae
Vanessa Mae
Vanessa-Mae is a British violinist with album sales reaching several million, having made her the wealthiest entertainer under 30 in the United Kingdom in 2006. She competed under the name Vanessa Vanakornfor Thailand in alpine skiing at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She was initially banned from skiing because a qualifying race for her benefit was alleged to be corrupt, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport later nullified the ban, citing lack of evidence for her own wrongdoing or any...
NationalityChinese
ProfessionViolinist
Date of Birth27 October 1978
CountryChina
In an ideal world, I'd spend every weekend at my home in Zermatt in Switzerland.
But then I hit my 20s and only made two albums, and now I live in a ski resort as a ski bum basically.
When I hit my 20s, I took a chill pill and relaxed because throughout my teens I was churning out an album a year. It was a treadmill of work then recording, promoting and touring.
I could have taken the easy life and just done classical, but I felt very strongly about the album, my first pop album, the first time that I'd fused so many influences. I was very proud when it was in the charts in 25 countries at once.
I don't mind about the boos from the audience.
For example, I loved English and history at school. I would have loved to have done a degree in either. But my Mom said I didn't have time for university.
But I still think it's mind over matter in the sense that if you're strong, you can combat anything.
But I don't think I've grown up to be a damaged adult.
But I don't mind, I'm a bit of a touring animal. When I'm on tour that is the greatest thrill for me, playing to a live audience.
All the time I'm changing as an artist and as a person.
In winter I go skiing on Saturdays and Sundays when the slopes are quieter due to changeover day for tourists, and in summer I hike up into the mountains at sunset, just as the village is settling down to dinner.
Beethoven and Beatles, Mozart and Michael Jackson, Paganini and Prince - I like them all.
I will be the Thai equivalent of Eddie the Eagle.
I've decided to make my main priority for the next two years not playing the violin, but training for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.