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Previous winners include Birdy!

Singers wanted to impress in the Open Mic UK North-West and Scotland Area Final. The singing contest has provided feedback for the best unsigned singers in the area.

Successful contestants in Manchester performed at The Willows in Salford 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 Lesley Mortimor-Wallace who works in wardrobe and design with acts such as Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson, Helen Mason from High Peak Radio, vocal expert Tommy Ng, 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.

Singers wanted in Manchester- Feedback for the 17-22 age category

Redd– Looks great. Thought the song choice could have been better this felt like a safe choice. Needed to work the stage more like she did in the last round. American accent creeping in. Good image and connected well to the music. Vocals need to work on the tuning at the higher end.

Shera– Preferred the original performed in the last round. Good image. A decent performance but missed the same spark as in the last round. She had fun with the performance but at times a little over the top. Good image and she really went for it which was good to see.

Natalie Scott– Would have preferred a song with more impact. Good image but needed to work the stage a bit more. It carries a lot less emotion if you’re static. Lovely raspy voice, song lost its way towards the end and so the initial interest gained so look to work on dynamics.

Jesvin– Brave start but you nailed the accapella. I like you that you tried your own arrangement of Dollar but it sounded slightly off-key. Tuning spoilt the performance need to work on that going forward, sing the right key. Great voice though.

Nicolle Gregory– American accent creeping in. off key to start but recovered to put in a good vocal. Work the stage area more. Vocals sounded very strained towards the end. Good cover choice and arrangement. Could have worked the stage more, work out the difference from expressing the song and looking in pain.

Richard Barnes– Nice stripped down cover medley. Well done. Engaging performance. Brilliant adaption of a New Order cover totally unique. He looks the part but vocals are a little bit nasal. Lovely tone and a simple and effective image.

Alan Parker- Very cabaret. A good fun performance but it felt like we were on a cruise ship. There are too many performers who can do this you have a good voice just need to use it better. Great holiday performer, very entertaining but not a recording artist.

North Point– Vocals aren’t that bad but it looks all wrong, Needs to be cohesive with the music. Lacks chemistry. Quite like the original song. Image is everything. Performing together too is important. There’s something about the act that makes you want to watch though.

Charlotte Oram– Great individual voice. Strong and sweet at the same time. Love the original song. Very engaging. Pushed the time limit. Original song was good a little repetitive towards the end. But made the cover her own style to leave us firmly what she’s about as an artist.

John Irvine– Remember this song from the last round, glad to hear it again.  Huge voice and vocal well delivered. Good covers. Watch projection in the playing. Made the cover his own. Very individual style. It worked – very entertaining.

Sophie – Would have preferred a more modern song choice. It was a bit too sleepy and needed more engagement. Great voice though. Watch posture shoulders back and express the song to your audience. Stay in the song during instrumentals.

Emma Collins– Lacked pazazz. Needed more dynamics and impact. Needed to sing the song like she meant it and feel the meaning. A well sung and polished stage performance but the song seemed bigger than her vocal range. Maybe tone down the image.

Singers wanted in Manchester – Further feedback

Rosie Plummer– All a bit static. Nice voice but didn’t work the audience as much as it could have done. Could have made the dynamics better to build rather than meander. Great voice but a fairly average performance. What market are you? needs more identity.

Emily Jayne– Great accompaniment. Vocals strong but missed a couple of notes. Use the whole stage. Image needs to be modernised. Good song choice it did however run away from her at times and was not under control rather it was controlling Emily.

Roxanne Lauren Jones– Difficult to take on a Leona Lewis song.  Hit the right notes in places but lacked a cutting edge and a spark. Song choice was ambitious hence why it suffered from tuning issues. Perfect image. Needs more volume control on vocals.

Jake McGarry– Like the act but thought at times the guitar playing was a little too aggressive. Loved the original song and a good cover choice. Very engaging performance but be careful to make sure the vocals aren’t drained by the guitars. Image didn’t match the music.

The Jesse Dansons– Like the concept and it’s generally well-delivered. Could be more polished but the materials are there for a good group. Great cover choice. Good interaction with all members of the act.  Great arrangement and a good funky image. Too loud at times.

Isaac Kershaw– Hauntingly good vocals. Playing felt slightly behind at times. Well done for engaging the audience, not easy when playing keys. Performance looked tense, relax and engage with your audience...open your eyes.  Interesting to watch.

Anna Sweeney– Sweet voice but needs a bit more conviction in the performance to make it believable. Nice cover choice would have liked to have heard it at a different pace. Guitar playing wasn’t as sharp as it could have been. Nerves showed.

Jordyn Hutchinson– Stunning image. Song well performed Jordyn used the stage well.   Entertained the crowd and put in a very strong vocal. The girl has got some lungs and worked it well in the instrumental breakdown. Look like you’re enjoying the performance more next time.

Morgan Cox– Has a slight lisp which has an effect on the vocals. Strong voice and brave to go without backing but not the best hoice. It lacked impact. Morgan has a good voice but choosing to do accapella was a mistake. Need to believe in the lyrics.

Nathan Heaton aka Lil Nath– Great timings to the rap. Nice original song. Well-acted out. Pretty static on stage needed to work the stage more. Lacked the passion and energy that his lyrics conveyed. Nice originality and some good beats. Keep developing.

Sara McIvor– A karaoke song choice. Well performed but vocals let her down at times. Entertaining but not cutting edge. Remember to engage with all the audience. Great effort with your image. Didn’t perform to the whole audience, just to her family and friends.

Kirsty Teasdale– Liked the dress. Could have put more energy into the performance.  Not keen on the song choice it felt a little safe. Lost it vocally towards the end. Posture you are hunching over when performing at times. Vocal needs strengthening as was under strain in places.

Pretty Girl Rock– Image VASTLY improved since last time, they look like a group now. Well-choreographed. Vocals still need polishing. Performance was subtle but perfect. Nice interchange of lead and the vocals were strong for a vocal group.

The guest act for the day was Lucy Spraggan, who treated the crowds to her brilliant trademark performances.

Singers wanted in Manchester, Enter Now!

All successful acts at the North-West and Scotland 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!

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