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Previous winners include Birdy!

Singing competitions in the South Coast like Open Mic UK see singers from all over the South Coast compete at the Southern England Area Final. The singing competition has provided industry feedback for all the singers competing in the competition.

Successful singing competitors in the South Coast performed at Highlight, Gunwharf, Portsmouth 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 wanting singers were Head of the Rock and Pop Foundation Steve Sammut, Phil Hewitt Group arts editor for Sussex Newspapers, International singer Rosalind Fountain, From Igloo Music Dielle Lodrick, Me'Sha Bryan from ICMP who has sung on tracks for Kylie Minogue, Victoria Beckham, Groove Armadaand 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.

Singing competitions South Coast - feedback for the 17-22 age category

Angela Ricci – You came on stage with great confidence, and gave a slick, smooth performance with velvety tones to the vocal. The performance was slightly static at times, so work on bringing more energy to the stage.

SeSe – A well-worked, high impact routine. The dancers were strong and added to the performance. Work on making the performance your own as it was a bit too similar to Beyonce and Rihanna, but overall a great performance.

Katie Gates – A powerful performance, despite the broken foot! The second song was particularly good and brought your performance to life. Try not to sing with your eyes closed as it cuts off the audience.

Andy Muscat – You made the cover your own, but as an acoustic act it would have been nice to see one of your original songs. Watch your tempo slowing and speeding up.  You have a great vocal tone, but the interaction was missing with the audience. Try to sing with your eyes open to engage the audience.

Beki Robinson – A captivating original song, which was very believable and heartfelt! At times when you pushed during the cover it was a little sharp, although overall you displayed a lovely tone and great range.

Jojo Lawani – You took ownership as you graced the stage, and had a great choice of outfit. The vocal can’t be knocked, but it was a poor song choice for an obviously talented girl.

Ollie and Sam – Bare Jams – A jolly cover backed up with a solid original. You are committed to your music, and displayed great energy and talent. Perhaps a little frantic in places, so slow down and enjoy your performance!

Shannon Campbell Lynch – You have a good vocal with great vibrato but it lacks presence, so try and sing with a bit more energy and expression. Your heels appeared to be a little too high which stopped you working the stage to your best ability.

Clare Dove – You performed a strong original song and a well chosen cover, displaying a silky, sultry vocal with a great tone. It would be easy to listen to you for a whole gig! A great performance!

Kate Fletcher – You had a polished stage presence, but your vocal was quite up and down, and you were quite shouty at parts. Perhaps a different song choice would have been better.

Bella – A great, captivating performance, but your guitar playing was slightly untidy at parts. Perhaps using a guitarist to back your performance would allow you to concentrate fully on your vocal.

Brieanne Oakley-Ives – The dancers were great, but having them so young looked strange and didn’t work as a package. You displayed good vocals, but your posture at times looked hunched. Stand up straight – there’s a big voice in there, so set it free!

Singing Competitions South Coast – Further feedback

Chantee – A great, cheeky performance, with excellent instrumental backing. You looked very comfortable on the stage. Perhaps bring the song up a semi-tone/tone so everything lower down can be heard.

Grace Vincent – You have a great, powerful voice, but try not to overdo the volume as the vocals appeared very stressed at time. Your diction needs to be worked upon as it was sometimes difficult to hear the words clearly.

Nicole Moattarian – You gave a very convincing performance, but at times when you forced the voice you tended to go out of tune. Watch the belting and focus on your tone, rather than the volume.

Lulabelle – You gave a unique, quirky, carefree performance, and you have a great image. Work on your tuning, as there were places where you seemed to have problems pitching.

Melo – Collectively you demonstrated great vocals and very tight harmonies, but there is room to work on your individual performances when breaks down. You can work on being a little more slicker at this stage now, as it started a bit like a school performance with you announcing the song individually a bit at a time and then the key that you were starting in. Being picky to get you girls even better for the Grand Final of what overall was a fantastic performance.

Les Girls – Quite a nervous start to the performance, it was clever and original, and had a good feel and groove for an acoustic set. Try not to force the vocal at times though.

Nee-Cee – You had distinctive image and style, and a lovely old school vocal. The performance was great, but work on trying to connect with the lyrics a little more.

Millie Hopkins – You look great on stage and have the cute factor! You are a very talented singer, performing with a folky, celtic vibe, but at moments you spoil your voice when you shout. Volume doesn’t make for a better performance, so drop it back and relax!

Singing competitions South Coast, Enter Now!

All successful acts at the Southern Area Final in Portsmouth 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!

The Open Mic UK competition is also being filmed for broadcasting on Sky TV! A two-part series will be broadcast on Sky on Sunday 8^th & 15^th January. The Making of a Star comes to Sky 201 in the New Year.

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