Sixteen year old Jade Donno from Sturmer has made it through to the Grand Final of the national singing competition - Open Mic UK 2010. Open Mic UK is the biggest singing competition for unsigned singers and solo artists in the country. The competition, which attracts over 8,000 entrants every year, is open to all genres from rap and hip hop to acoustic and classical.
Jade sang in the Regional finals in Ipswich and then in the Area finals in Bedford before securing her place at the Grand Final which is on the 15th of January. Jade’s next performance will be in front of a live audience and judging panel comprised of industry experts at the IndigO2 at the O2 in London!
Apart from the prestige and experience of singing on stage at the O2 the acts are now competing for prizes worth over £50,000. Prizes include exclusive master classes with some of the best musicians in the world courtesy of ICMP, clothing, studio time, an all expenses paid trip to Dublin to record a music video, a recording contract with up to £30,000 investment and a UK tour with over 100 gig dates.
Chris Grayston, Events Director of Open Mic UK commented, “It’s a fantastic achievement to make it to the Grand Final and the best unsigned acts in the country are now getting set to perform at one of the best live music venues in the world – the 02 in London. They’ll be showcasing their music to lots of industry representatives and the media which isn’t something you get to do every day. There are some fantastic judges on board and a vast prize pool so it really is all to play for. I’m excited to see what the acts can do on the day!”
The winners of the 2010 competition will be thrust into the media spotlight and given the opportunity to tour the UK. Jade explains, “I know everyone says this – from X Factor to Britain’s Got Talent but.. it is a dream come true! I am so excited and can’t wait to get up on that stage and sing my heart out. I just want to have a brilliant time and enjoy every second of the experience. Not many sixteen year olds can say they have sung at the O2. This is an amazing opportunity for all the acts to show what they can do in front of some of the leading people in the music business. It’s not just about winning the competition there are lots of other potentially amazing things that could come out of this performance. Of course there’s no pressure on me - apart from the round the world cruise brochures my parents have been browsing through when they think I’m not looking!!”
During the course of the Regional and Area Finals Jade won two Exposure Awards and prizes of over £550. The Exposure Awards were given to the entrant who had gained the most publicity in the run up to the Regional and Area competitions. Jade had press releases published in the Haverhill Weekly News, Haverhill Echo, East Anglian Daily Times, Suffolk Free Press, The Best of Haverhill and Haverhill UK and was the cover girl for the winter edition of the Haverhill Life Magazine. Social media – Facebook and Twitter - also played a big part in Jade’s publicity campaign and contributed to her success in winning the Exposure Awards.
Jade’s family and friends will be out in force at the O2 to support her on Saturday. Tickets for the Grand Final can be obtained from the Open Mic website – or from Ticketmaster or call Paul Donno on 01787 281688 for further information.
