Laura Elen, the Welsh soprano who has become a much-loved fixture on Spain’s Costa del Sol, has opened up about her remarkable journey from rainy Neath to sunny southern Spain, where she has built a thriving career and living the dream as a wedding singer, entertainer, and TV personality.
Laura grew up speaking fluent Welsh, attending a Welsh school. Her singing talent emerged early on, influenced by her cultural background and education. She later completed a degree in psychology while working for Women’s Aid, but she had already begun her singing career, funding her studies through performances and coming out a highly rare debt-free graduate.
“I was a proper, proper Welsh bird, I was”
Despite her initial aversion to the sun – “I hated the sun. I’m ginger. I said I’ll get skin cancer within the year. I was a proper, proper Welsh bird, I was”, Laura was persuaded to try her luck on the Costa del Sol in 2004. She arrived with low expectations but quickly landed regular gigs in Benalmadena, building a name for herself. “I hated it for about 6 weeks. I cried every day,” she recalls of those early adjustment struggles. Yet, with cheap BMI Baby flights making trips home affordable, just about managed. “You could visit home for €12. So I was going home every 6 weeks to have my hair bleached,” she remembered.
Within a year, her talent was clearly recognised on the coast when she won Best Singer on the Costa del Sol at the Casino Hotel in 2005. Remarkably, she never had to use her psychology degree professionally. “I went directly into full-time singing,” she says.
22 years on the Costa del Sol and 500 weddings
Laura has now lived on the Costa del Sol for an impressive 22 years, performing at least 500 weddings and establishing herself as one of the region’s most in-demand vocalists. Her classical training as a soprano does best in church ceremonies, though she adapts to any request. Interestingly, she had never sung opera before moving to Spain. “When I came to Spain, the smoking ban had just come in, and in Wales it was still too smoky in the venues to sing opera,” she explains. Her bilingual background, fluent in Welsh and now Spanish, gave her the edge: “My Welsh pronunciation put me in good stead to learn Spanish pronunciation with all the rolling of Rs and throat sounds. I can sing and converse in Spanish.” It comes with an advantage in that she has always been bilingual.
As the only member of the local Welsh society who speaks Welsh, Laura often represents the community, particularly at Benalmadena’s massive annual St David’s Day concert. Each year, the event fundraises for a different charity; this year, proceeds supported AVOI children’s cancer charity. In fact, whenever there is a rare gap in her schedule, you can find Laura working to support one local charity or another. Just recently, she coupled with George to wow the crowd at the fundraiser for Victoria Hart to give a show no one will forget.
Part of the Costa del Sol landscape
Reflecting on the changing landscape of the Costa del Sol, Laura says that 20 years ago, gigs were plentiful and easy to walk into. “These days, for newer singers, it’s not as easy. Because I’ve been here so long, because Ricky Lavazza and Alexandra Avery have been here so long, we’re like stalwarts, and we’ve got a good reputation.” She has been a regular at the Benalmadena Palace for all 22 years.
One of her favourite memories of a gig? “A wedding at Tamisa Golf. They picked me up and threw me in the pool, in my big blue dress.” With 40 weddings already booked for this year, she remains passionate. She is still enjoying every moment of singing and entertaining.
Laura’s profile has soared thanks to her recurring role on Channel 5’s Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun, now in its fifth year with her involvement. The show reaches 23 million viewers daily, showing off her life in the sun, performances, and personal adventures. She also delights crowds annually with her Kylie show at the Feria de los Pueblos.
From a ginger Welsh girl wary of the sun to a Costa del Sol stalwart and TV favourite, Laura Elen’s story is one of adaptation, talent, and lasting longer than most ever did on the Costa del Sol and feeling the joy in her talent.
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