Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman, born 14 August 1960, is an English soprano, actress, and songwriter widely credited as a pioneer of the classical crossover genre. She began her career as a dancer and vocalist with the troupe Hot Gossip before moving into musical theatre, making her West End debut in «Cats» in 1981. That production connected her with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom she later married, and who wrote several signature roles for her voice, most famously Christine Daaé in «The Phantom of the Opera», which she originated in the West End and on Broadway.

After stepping back from stage work, Brightman rebuilt her career as a recording artist, teaming with producer Frank Peterson to fuse operatic soprano technique with electronic and pop production — a hybrid sound that helped define classical crossover as a commercial genre. Her multilingual repertoire spans English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and other languages, reflecting an international career built as much on European charts as on the English-speaking world.

Her best-known recordings include the Lloyd Webber standards «All I Ask of You» and «Think of Me», alongside the worldwide hit «Time to Say Goodbye», a duet with Andrea Bocelli. Across decades she has sustained parallel careers in musical theatre and crossover pop, remaining one of the genre's most recognizable and enduringly popular voices.