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Previous winners include Birdy!

Open Mic UK’s first Area Final in London was this weekend as the Open Mic UK talent contest kicked off in London and the south-west, as singers in the competition took to the stage. The music competition has provided industry feedback for the best unsigned musicians in the London and the south-west area.

Successful contestants in London performed at The Beck Theatre in Hayes in front of a large crowd and the Open Mic UK industry experts. Judges included vocal coaches, music journalists and A&R managers. The singing competition feedback on selected acts can be seen below.

Judging the unsigned musicians in London were Head of BGM, Michael King, Andrew Tayo from Uband, Adam Owen of Out of Bounds Records, Joe Forrester from Fame Factor and breakfast presenter at Hayes FM, vocal expert Rob Palmer, Head of Future Music Chris Grayston and Head of A&R at Future Music Ben Price.

Find industry feedback below. Please be aware views expressed by judges are opinions and subjective to that particular judging panel. These views in no way reflect the views of Open Mic UK, and are published with a view to being beneficial to the performing acts. Please take the feedback on board with a view to helping in the future.

Open Mic London – 16 and under category

Jessica Handley– Perhaps nervous at first. Needed to use the stage more. Nice that she took on an original, a brave performance. Needed to look like she was enjoying the performance. Needs vocal discipline.

Nakira– Nice style liked the sit down followed by working the stage. Looks the part but flat in parts. Think she was thinking too much about her movements but neglected the vocals a bit. Good choice of cover. Song was ultimately too big.

Kidtaztik– Nice image. Well-choreographed nice to see evidence of lots of rehearsal. Lyrics and delivery were very good. The remix of Baby was great. You really connectred with the audience and the song. Nice to see original lyrics.

Lydia Kate Howells– Guitar playing needs to be more expansive. Choice of songs were all on a similar level would have been nice to show different sides of her. Needs to strive for more originality. She has an interesting voice and is heading in the right direction.

Maisie Tooley– Different! Liked it she felt the emotion of the song. It was good but only brilliant at the end. Massive spine tingling finish. She makes opera very cool. Fab voice and fab look. A nice polished tone.

Molly Emmerson– Nice performance but not a stand-out brilliant one. Work on engaging the audience more. Great effort in the performance but voice needs to mature. She needs to find a cooler and more unique edge. Can’t believe she is only 12! Maybe needs a bit more attitude.

Rosalyn Bremerkamp –A good performance loved the choice of song. Dramatic and enthralling. Good voice but words a slightly unclear, work on diction. This is the weakest part of your act. A confident cover of a big song.

Dani Ali- A bit static and missed a few notes. Not sure on the all-denim look might need updating. Scale needs work but there’s potential there. You picked a tough song that needs control. Nerves let you down at the start but there was evidence you’d put a lot of rehearsal into this. Well done.

Leonie McDonald– Liked the stage movements from back to front brought engagement to the stage. Worked the stage well and lived the moment. Slight key issues at times though. You need to work on your vocal dynamics. A brave song choice.

Sophie Davies– Not sure about the backing track distracted slightly. A bit static. Not the best cover choice, so overdone. You looked emotional but kept a strong voice which showed great control. A fairly strong vocal but not an original one.

Navreen Sehmi– Should have worked the stage. Didn’t really engage much. Not a bad voice. With vocal training she must stand a chance. Goes off key too easily at the moment. Nice tone but needs performance practice.

Open Mic London – Further feedback

Jessica Chick –An emotional performance. Could have stepped it up a level by taking mic off stand. Difficult song to take on but she managed it. Great voice and a very controlled vocal performance. Don’t forget to perform during the instrumentals as well.

Sophie Wojna– Well performed but be careful not to stretch your vocals. Great image, love the hair. Diction wasn’t always clear. Good song choice. Really good stage presence and performance. Don’t forget to stay in the song when you’re not singing too

Macy Landon-Jones– Great that your trying to different with your voice just control it a little more. Good styling. You need to find your own stamp rather than impersonate anyone else. A confident and engaging performance. Image is strong. A very confident performance which was engaging for the crowd. On point.

Lacey Mai– Nice version of Imagine. Dealt well with technical glitch, extra points for professionalism. Nice version of a great song. Pretty good but not quite there vocally. Lacey ticks a lot of boxes but needs to bring more stage presence.

Imani Williams– Great look. I didn’t like the song choice too low key. With only a short time to impress sometimes impact is the best tool. Great vocals nonetheless. She has star quality but not the most engaging performance. Work on mic technique.

Rebecca Jones- Brilliant. Lost it a little during key change but the audience was gripped. Piano playing was too hard at times playing softer would have helped the flow. Not afraid to be herself a very genuine performance. Good cover you showed off your personality.

L Dot Star– Your rapping was stronger than your singing. Needs work. Good originality and an interesting performance. Great choice of music not the normal but very cool. Needs to connect more but good potential. Backing track was a little messy.

Taylor Darby Rowland– Not the most exciting and modern cover choice. All a bit dated. Nice vocals but needs more edge. More performance needed and needs to work on timings. You handled the vocal very well but needed to add a little soul.

Lynette Mutuota– Great spin on the song. Loads of personality in this performance. Vocally on point. The best so far! A recording artist in the making. A storming performance. Image and the song are in synch. Great confidence. 

Ellie Higgs– Great star quality and attitude. Gorgeous girl with loads of potential. Worked the stage perfectly. You need to connect more with the audience though and let them into your world. A well-rehearsed performance. Very professional.

Bibiana Viazzani –Massive voice for one so young. Perfect diction. Well-acted out and no signs of nerves. Just stay in the song during instrumentals. She sells the meaning of the song well it’s very believable. Needs to keep going she could have a future in music.

Leila Fay –Not the most exciting song choice initially. Better vocals in the original song and it was much more emotionally engaging. Needs more stage presence. The performance came alive when you sat at the piano. Nice to hear original material.

Tom Wright  - A very grand performance.  Looks good, well-acted out and good key change. Good performance and ability I’m just not sure there is a market for Tom. Needs to work on his vocal tone and also improve the image. Engage more with the crowd if possible.

Samantha-Jayne Banful– Not sure on the outfit looked a little dated. Maybe bring more edge. Static. Big finish was good. A slightly shaky start but you soon found your confidence. A simple performance that worked with the song really well

The guest act for the day was Hatty Keane, who treated the crowds to brilliant performances just seven days before she supports Ed Sheeran and Wretch 32.

Open Mic London, Enter Now!

All successful acts at the London and south-west Area Final will now be performing in the live Grand Final at London’s O2 on 21^st January. Come along to see the best unsigned talent!

All successful acts are competing at Live Fest, London’s biggest indoor festival!

Don’t miss your chance to perform in front on industry professionals! You can enter Open Mic UK now!