Who (Band): Miriam Stockley is a gifted South African born British singer. She has one of the most beautiful vocals that show a range and level of control that only a rare few can rival. Her vocals have been considered by many to be as powerful as an opera singer, but with the passion and empathy that could rival artists like Tori Amos or Celine Dion.

Much of the music that Miriam Stockley has been involved with is beautiful alone, but it is her pure talent and emotion that elevate any song she has been involved in to new levels. This has made her one of the highly sought after vocalists and very respected in the music community. Her beauty in the music is a direct reflection of the kind of person she is and that has also endeared her to those she works with and those that have had the opportunity to meet this gifted musician.

What (Band): Miriam Stockley has been involved with music for four decades and has been involved with a long list of projects, released many albums, and always has more to share with the music world. She has performed in soundtracks for The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, One Night Stand, and The 10th Kingdom. She has also been involved with the piece On Jai Ya, at the request of the Beijing Olympic Committee. Her song, Perfect Day, was the theme song for the BBC children's television show, the World Of Peter Rabbit And Friends. The series would use her song as its theme for the full run of the series (1992 to 1995).
 

Why (Song):  Hallmark released a mini-series in 2000 that had an all-star cast. Some of the bigger names in the series were Warwick Davis (Harry Potter Series, Star Wars Series), Ed O'Neill (Married With Children, Modern Family), Dianne Wiest (Robots, Lost Boys, Edward Scissorhands), and John Larroquette (Night Court, West Wing, McBride). The series itself presented one base plotline and masterfully weaved in sub-plots that kept the story progressing without having it lose focus. The merging of classic fables and the modern world made The 10th Kingdom one of the trendsetters in a slew of movies and televisions shows that are still emerging today. Wishing On A Star was the theme song for the mini-series and helped establish the tone and mood of the series in a way that was impressive.

Wishing On A Star was originally performed by Rose Royce. Miriam Stockley's adaptation of this song would have a lasting impact both in The 10th Kingdom and as a stand alone song. The impressive part in this is that the feat to have a song compliment a visual piece is a challenge, Miriam achieved this and much more. Today the song actually has garnered more fanfare than the mini-series. This isn't saying that The 10th Kingdom was a bad series, it is actually saying how good Miriam Stockley's version of Wishing Ong A Star truly is.

Where (Song): The original version of Wishing On A Star is less than a minute and a half long. Miriam has stated in the recent past that there was talks about making a full version of this song. This has a lot of her fans hoping it will become a reality in the near future. The shortened version of the song is an amazing piece, but is hard to add to any real set of music due to its length. It does make for a good transitional piece for those that want to tie in Baroque Pop, New Age, Instrumental, and/or Folk music together. That is a broad family of music, and this is one of the few songs that can be utilized as a bridge to help transition or unite parts of these respective genres.

The exciting part is that the original version of Wishing On A Star has made many of Miriam's fans hunger for a full version of this song. To see how she can expand On the condensed version and keep the vitality in it is exciting to experience when she does create it.

How (Song):  There isn't many songs that have had a following like Wishing On A Star has created. More than a decade after the mini-series was released there have been a good number of fans from multiple generations that have discovered The 10th Kingdom largely due to the song. There are not many songs that can surpass the movies they are tied to and Miriam managed to create this in her version of this song. The movie has a ton of good merits and has shown cute endearing qualities that has had it develop a good fan base. In 2000, it was the actors and the movie that drew the people to experience the mini-series, and as time passes it is Miriam Stockley's Wishing On A Star that has become the initial draw.

There have been multiple remakes of Wishing On A Star, but there are few that can rival the original. Miriam Stockley's has been considered one of the best remakes that presents a fresh take on the song while still paying homage to the original.

Cocktail (Sounds Like): 1 part Tori Amos + 1 part Enya

Combine with a little Hans Christian Andersen magic.

Draven Taylor's Note: I discovered Miriam Stockley's music during the time I was last in Europe. I was shown The 10th Kingdom while out there and was amazed with the power of her voice, her mastery in control, and how it sounds like she pours her soul into this short song. I admired what I heard in the mini-series and was further impressed as I heard more of her music.

Through Music Eternal, I have had the rare opportunities of chatting with Miriam and have to say that she is as amazing as her music. She is a very down to earth, heartfelt, and sweet person. She is one of the rare gems in the music world and I consider myself fortunate in getting the chance to know a little about her. For me personally, I would highly recommend her music and for other musicians to learn more about her as a person.

I rare do this, but I think it is warranted to give proper scope in Miriam's music. In a nutshell, I would say that Miriam shows a mastery in her vocal strength and control that can rival these qualities in the late Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, or Celine Dion. The empathy in her singing reminds me of what could be felt in many of the songs by Tori Amos in her album Little Earthquakes. The style that Miriam has in her music is diverse, but much of the New Age and Folk formats can rival those of Enigma, Clannad, and Enya. Miriam has originality and creativity in her music that shines. Even her remakes of songs are original in how she "makes them her own." If anything, her remaking songs as her own would be something that many of those involved in American Idol could learn a lot from.

Go to the next page to hear the song.