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Previous winners include Birdy!

Music 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 music competition has provided industry feedback for all the singers competing in the music competition.

Successful singers in the South Coast Music Competition performed at Highlight, Gunwharf, Portsmouth, Hampshire in front of a large crowd and the Open Mic UK industry experts. Judges included vocal coaches, music journalists and A&R managers. The music 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.

South Coast Music Competition - Feedback for the 23+ age category

Graham Carr – You had great energy on stage and demonstrated great showmanship through a unique, original and entertaining performance. Work on arrangements that play to your vocal strengths.

Max Pahlsson – You had a lovely, husky voice, with good soul to your sound. Your vocals were at times drowned by the guitar, so work on getting a good balance between voice and instrumentation. Your image could be improved, with particular focus to clothes.

Troy Peverall – You have a great, unique voice, but perhaps a different song choice could have displayed your strengths better. You’re clearly very passionate about your music, but you need to work on connecting with the audience more for a greater impact.

Tania K – A very powerful singer, with great control, pitch and tone. You made a great song choice, but keep up the tempo, as the backing appeared a little slow for you at times. Work on making use of the stage a little more, and engaging with the audience.

Startah – You had a great image, and your performance worked for the genre you were doing. Your vocal is on track but you need to work on your diction, as at times it was a little difficult to hear your lyrics.

Kate Laming – Kate displayed very strong vocals and a great energy. Work on exploring the stage space more and make use of facial expressions to really captivate the audience.

Alice Frankham – You have a lovely voice and it really shows how much you love performing. Working on your image would be beneficial, as your style didn’t reflect the song you were performing. More stage movement in the performance would have enhanced a great song.

Gwendolen Elias – The song choice was dated, but you gave a beautiful interpretation of the classic track. The performance was a bit static at times, so be sure to make use of the space around you when performing, and engage the audience with eye contact.

Chantelle Dewar – Chatelle sings with a lovely soft tone, and the whole performance had a great, unplugged feel. It’s refreshing to hear a singer that doesn’t need to shout. You need to work on your tuning as it was a little sharp at parts.

Sian Lee – You have a great image and vocal, but try not to sing so loudly that you go out of tune. The voice should feel free and open at all times. Try not to sing with your eyes closed, as it closes you off from the audience.

 South Coast Music Competition – Further Feedback

Jai Blaze – You showed a real commitment to your performance and your art. At times it was difficult to hear the lyrics, so ensure your voice is directed into the mic properly.A dancer or two could have added to your overall performance.

Christine Davies – Your vocals were fantastic overall and you look like a star! At times you were little sharp, and your tonal quality was sacrificed in places for volume.

Roy Sudan – A very likeable performer. You performed a great interpretation of your cover song, although perhaps a different guitar sound could have worked better. Your original song was fantastic. Try to sing out to the audience rather than looking at your guitar.

Bella – You gave a stunning performance of a great song choice. You have a beautiful tone and a lovely look. You are a star!

Linzi – Linzi had a slow start but gave a very fun and likeable performance with a happy, feel good vibe. Perhaps musical theatre/cabaret plays to your strengths more.

Strappa – You adapted the cover and made it your own, giving a lively, entertaining performance. You had a great audience connection. It felt like your energy grew throughout your performance, so work on creating a stronger start.

Quackhouse – What a musical treat! You had brilliant adlibs, a clever arrangement, and you work well together to create a very unique, engaging performance. Think of your image as a group – brand your product to make yourself more marketable. Total stars! To tick all the boxes going forward integrate your original into a cover to demonstrate your best written song too.

Sara C –You used the stage well, and gave a well delivered, energetic, confident performance. You maintained vocal control throughout. Timing was a bit of an issue in places, so work on keeping up with the track.

2 Deep – Lovely, sensitive original song. Work on getting the vocal completely solid so it can sparkle. The cover came across a little harsh to begin with, but once it found the groove it was great.

Hayley Marie – The opening of your song was great, but when you went up into the upper register your vocal closed up. You could have a great, belty rock vocal if you relax and let it flow out of you. Your look worked for the style of song chosen.

Tariro – You looked beautiful and had a great outfit. Promising material, but your dynamics were a little much in places. Think about whether it needs to be sung that loudly. 

South Coast Music Competitions, Enter Now!

All successful acts at the Southern Area Final in Portsmouth, Hampshire 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!