St Mary’s student, Hollie Haines, has fought off tough competition to win a place in the Area Finals of the national Live and Unsigned competition.
Live and Unsigned is the biggest competition for unsigned artists in the UK, with more than 40,000 people entering every year.
Hollie, who is in Year 11 and GCSE music student, impressed a panel of industry judges and a packed audience at the Regional Finals with her acoustic performance. She will now go onto one of eight nationwide Area Finals – the winners will go on to compete in the Final at the O2 arena.
Hollie recently performed an original song called Let Go on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire when she was interviewed about her success. She said: “It was really scary to perform for the panel of judges – they showed no emotion at all. We all waited just off the stage to hear the judges results, I felt sick! My name got read out second meaning I was in the judges top six and was through to the next round!”
Charlotte Avery, Headmistress at St Mary’s School, commented: “Hollie is a very talented musician, singer and song writer. We are so proud that Hollie has reached this stage in the competition. It is a true testament to her hard work and the excellent music tuition she receives at the School. I have every confidence she will impress the judges at the next stage.”
The competition offers their winners the chance to play at festivals across the UK, and the grand prize is £10,000 to spend on their act.
The Area Final will take place on Sunday 13 May at the Bedford Corn Exchange.