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Previous winners include Birdy!

The UK's largest talent competition for singers and songwriters travelled to Portsmouth this week to see the best acts in the area battle it out for a chance to play at the grand final at the O2 in January.

The weather at the Portsmouth Guildhall was freezing, but the competition was smoking hot! Well done to everyone who came along on Saturday 27^th November and put on such an amazing show.

Here the judges give us some feedback from the event, but remember it could all change at the grand final.

Please note: views expressed by Judges are opinions and in no way reflect the views of Open Mic UK. 

The judges were: Singer songwriter Graeme Ennis, Darren Ashford from ICMP, from Vocal Tutor Amelia McCloskey, International performer and vocal coach Rosalind Fountain, Radio Solent’s Carl Ralley and Future Music’s Chris Grayston.

Kelly Briggs;

Need to work on your confidence a bit! You performed really well and provided a great start to the show, it was a big song that ran away with you a bit at times, but a good solid effort, well done.

Sarah Batt;

Rich solid voice, but the song choice and your tone combined to make it a bit too old fashioned, good strong stage presence.

Ollie Friend;

Clever guitar work, and nice to see someone doing something a bit different, but remember your audience and try to interact with them and give eye contact.

Sami Jay;

Really strong vocals, but the out of tune guitar let you down, it was a shame as it actually hampered your performance instead of complimenting it.

Abby Clarke;

Liked your voice but the song choice was completely wrong for you, there was no flow in the songs and it felt awkward, however, a good performance and nice audience interaction.

David Benassi;

The three P’s – professional polished and poised! The judges loved your voice and the songs - but might be worth introducing the audience to what you’re going to play, as the transition was a bit unclear.

Kat Perrio;

Strong voice and we could tell you were really enjoying it on stage, but you need to make sure you’re putting the same passion into your singing, not sure the song suited your voice.

Emma Tyson;

Good performance but need to relax a bit and make it more effortless, it felt a bit mechanical in places. You looked and sounded lovely.

Nicholas Howe;

Nice to see someone doing something a bit different, but you need to work together as you looked like three individuals instead of a band. Judges felt like you were trying a bit too hard in places and didn't think you needed the backing singer, but still very enjoyable.

Hollie Runnalls;

 Beautiful voice, but judges felt you were playing it a bit safe, need to work in diction in places, and make sure you really inject ownership and passion into the song.

Stephanie Underwood;

Great potential and lovely voice, please try not to force it too much on the high  notes, as you lose all that lovely tone and they’re in too much contrast to the rest of the song – don’t be afraid to use the stage.

Kieron Cox;

Enjoyed your performance and voice, nice to see someone interacting fully with audience, your combination  of covers was nice, but it took well into the show before you relaxed enough to enjoy it.

Sam Gledhill;

Really enjoyed your performance, but it seemed to lack engagement, felt like something was missing – this is a hugely emotional song, so try to sell it.

Vikki-Jo;

Pitchy and with some tuning issues, nice voice, but think you picked the wrong song, but a good performance.

Caz Turner-Gould;

Good audience interaction, needs to keep composure  - lost concentration at times, overall nice voice.

Luke Upton;

Confident performer with a  very strong voice and went for it on stage but felt like a bit of a tribute act, looked and sounded great – would have liked to see something more original.

Kayleigh King;

Lovely voice and a good performance – but you seemed to lack passion in your song, need to connect more to what you’re singing and really sell it to the audience more.

Teresa De Roberto;

Outstanding voice, excellent vocal control and performance, some diction issues and not sure that the cover showed off your voice to the full extent, but a very enjoyable show.

Morton & McDonnall;  

Good harmonies, liked your voices together, would loved to have seen more personality from you both in your songs, sell to the audience.

Rachel Jones;

 Judges liked your original and thought you were very sweet,  also thought the keyboard was a great touch,  good performer.

Gabriella Rego;

 Looked lovely, you were a little off key especially towards the end of the song, was a real shame, think with a different song choice you would have done much better.

Lauren Casey;

 Nice image, good sound and a faultless performance, you outdid yourself today Lauren, so well done.

Fran Classic;

Original and buckets of energy, which the judges loved, you had the crowd with you all the way and despite losing some guitar sound, you recovered well, good one guys.