Making the (Surrey) hills alive with the sound of music

Left to right: Dan Joyce, Rachael Summers, Amanda Neale, Georgia Lois and Phil

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Having already been the main presenter of Brookland's Future Starz on Brooklands Radio, Amanda Neale was really excited about the chance to bring Junior Star Singer onto another Surrey based radio station.  She was joined by Rachael Summers again as her co-host and with special guest Georgia Lois who sang her wonderful track 'Choose' at the end of the show.  

Amanda, Rachael and Georgia made their way to Leatherhead again with a good cup of coffee for the early morning breakfast show.  

These early starts are proving to be a bit hard on the presenters but they love the buzz of the show anyway and are full steam ahead ready to greet contestants!!

Surrey Hills Radio station is based in Leatherhead Town Centre amongst a lovely array of swanky coffee shops and high street stores. Leatherhead is not a large town but quite a small, warm welcoming  one with a selection of shops, activities, and events that draw people from nearby towns and villages.  The town has some stunning countryside that surrounds the whole of leatherhead with well-marked paths and guided walking routes.  Surrey Hills Radio is a fun, exciting radio station that goes out onto the internet.   It is well known for receiving songs from unsigned artists who want to have their songs played on air and also supporting local musicians and vocalists.  The presenter Dan Joyce really welcomed Junior Star Singer as a national competition after interviewing Amanda on his live breakfast show.  Check out the interview here:

Contestants for JSS came from the Surrey Area to greet presenters at Surrey Hills Radio before 9am so well done folks!!!! 

We listened to entries from Helen Houlahan, performing 'Wings' by Birdy and T-J , performing 'Set fire to the rain' by Adele. Check out their performances here:

The Surrey Hills Radio show is the latest in our tour which is also helping to raise awareness of the Youth Music charity, which helps disadvantaged youngesters in the UK to realise their potential through music. If you'd like to donate to the charity, please text “TOUR11 £5” to 70070.

We are nearly close to finishing now for the Junior Star Singer Songwriter Radio Tour 2016 so keep a look out on all the blogs for further information on who will get selected for the final.  Contestants will be invited to come down to a recording studio and sing to compete in the final.  They will have to sing a verse and chorus of a track written by the main presenter Amanda Neale.  Out of these finalists, one winner will be chosen and their track will be played across all 20 radio stations next year for the Junior Star Singer Songwriter Radio Tour in 2017.  Rachael Summers will also be performing at the final.  Look out for the next show at West Side Radio in November and any further updates on our Junior Star Singer website.

Thanks to Dan Joyce and all the team for a very fun wacky show.  See you next time.

Good Luck contestants!!!!!!!!!!

XXX

They did like to be beside the seaside - JSS goes to Margate!

It was another early start for the Junior Star Singer Songwriter team, as presenter Amanda Neale and co-host Rachael Summers made their way to the seaside town of Margate. Joining them on their travels was budding young singer and songwriter Georgia Lois.

Georgia Lois has just recorded her demo with record producer Anthony Goldsborough who has acted as a mentor on the radio tour. Georgia's style is folk pop and now since recording her demo, Georgia is due to do her first promotional video this December. From a very early age, Georgia has been singing and writing her tracks developing new folk sounds.  Now singing like a songbird, Georgia will be taking time out to have her first promotional video recorded before Christmas. This will be available to see on her website Singer called Georgia Lois.

While you've got your internet browser open, make sure to also check out Rachael Summers' latest song 'It's not 'Over for me' - you can watch the video on the videos page of her website. The song is also featured on her latest EP which she has been busy promoting on the JSS tour this year.  Her tracks will also be promoted on the new tour next year. 

Her latest song 'Livin the Dream' will be filmed in a music video later on next month, so watch out for any blurb on Twitter and Facebook.  Rachael will be teaching contestants the steps to the track which have been choreographed by herself.  There will also be a promotional video for this with contestants from the JSS tour to come out later next year.  If you are interested in being in the video and have competed in the JSS tour, then contact us now through the Junior Star Singer Songwriter website reference 'music video'.

Margate, where we held September's Junior Star Singer  is bursting with artistic energy.  It is a traditional holiday town with loads of charm and even has a world-class art gallery to top it all off. There are sandy beaches, sparkling bays, quirky cafes, retro shops and in the midst of all this a surge of creative energy. Amanda and Rachael were really excited to be in this seaside town to listen to the talent around Kent. The contestants competing from Seaside Radio were: 

• Jake Wareham singing his own rendition of ‘I write sins not tragedies’ by Panic! at the disco
• Holly Brown singing ‘Yours’ by Ella Henderson
• Maria Batucan singing ‘One Last Time’ by Ariana Grande

Left to right: Caroline Palmer of Margate Seaside Radio, contestants Maria Batucan, Holly Brown and Jake Wareham, with JSS hosts Amanda and Rachael

Take a look at how well the contestants did.  They were all buzzing with nerves and excitement all at the same time.  With a very electric atmosphere, they all did so well!!  We can’t wait to hear who goes through to the final from sandy Margate.

To look out for further information and news on the Junior Star Singer Songwriter Radio Tour, do tune in to all of our blogs and of course onto our Junior Star Singer website. 

We're wondering now we are close to the end of the radio tour this year, who are the possible contenders for this year?  What are the views of the mentors so far?  Tune into our next radio show for JSS on the tour at Surrey Hills Radio on October 1st which will be live on the Breakfast show with presenter Dan Joyce.


See you all soon XXX

OK in MK - Junior Star Singer Songwriter rocks the city of concrete cows!

The Junior Star Singer team were on the road again through Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire for the Junior Star Singer Radio Tour in Milton Keynes this time at Secklow Sounds.  Contestants came from surrounding areas all over areas like Bedford, Kempston and Milton Keynes.

With over 200 shops and restaurants in the centre of Milton Keynes, the city is fast attracting a reputation for more than just its famous concrete cows (see below).  

Milton Keynes has helped to give housing to 250,000 people over recent years.  One of the main reasons for the success of this project is the design which was created by urban planners and architects.  They created a strongly modernist design and used the grid  square system for layout.  Milton Keynes now accommodates a vast array of businesses and is a social point for young people as well providing a cinema, ice skating rink, bowling centre and also a radio station called Secklow Sounds......

Secklow Sounds is a fantastic radio station bringing a mixture of different music and collective sounds to Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.  Amanda Neale was really pleased when she was asked to host Junior Star Singer this year on the station.  The contestants were Mahdiya, Morgan, Washeera Basutu and Rochelle Blake who were all competing for the Milton Keynes area.  Good luck to all those wonderful contestants.

Amanda has been busy promoting Junior Star Singer Songwriter not only on Secklow Sounds but also on BBC Three Counties on the Yasmeen Khan show.  She has featured as a regular panellist discussing topics of news and entertainment in the Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire area.

The Secklow Sounds radio show is the latest in our tour which is also helping to raise awareness of the Youth Music charity, which helps disadvantaged youngesters in the UK to realise their potential through music. If you'd like to donate to the charity, please text “TOUR11 £5” to 70070.

Look out for further information on who are the winners for the Junior Star Singer Songwriter Radio Tour, as winners will be announced at the back end of this year. Judges Adam Faires and Anthony Goldsbrough will be picking one winner from each location and then these winners will be singing their way to the top for the final prize.........the chance to sing and song write with a top record producer and then have their song played across all the radio stations for the tour next year.  Stay tuned!!  For further news, plus information on how to sign up to next year's competition,  see Junior Star Singer - a singing talent competition for 10-16 year olds.

Our tour gets a little extra help from the talented kids of Halifax

Think of Halifax and singing and you might end up remembering the series of ads that the Halifax Building Society did a few years ago where members of staff sang to well-known tunes (if you need a reminder, take a look below...)

We wanted to see for ourselves whether the youth of Halifax could go one better, and so, after a quick crafty snooze following our earlier, early morning Bradford show, came in search of young talent to test our theory.

After an early start, Amanda and Rachael took the chance to catch 40 winks before their afternoon show on Phoenix Radio

Luckily, we also had our own little bit of extra help from Howard Priestley of local radio station Phoenix Radio 96.7fm.

With Howard, we met our first duet, Neve and Josh and soloist Emily Taylor-Smith.  Neve and Josh sang their own rendition of the emotional song, Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton, whilst Emily sang Dream a Dream from the hit musical Les Miserables.  You can watch clips of their performances below. 

As always, we were delighted with the talented performances. We loved the classical sound of Emily with the retro sound of Neve and Josh.  It was fantastic to hear something quirky and unusual.  

The show at Phoenix FM is the 11th in the Junior Star Singer Songwriter UK tour, which aims to give young singers all over the UK aged between 10 to 16 the chance to showcase their talents, with the lucky winner getting to record a song with top UK music producer Anthony Goldsborough. The competition will be judged by mentors within the music industry.

Have a listen to our show on Phoenix 96.7FM:

We will be inviting the winning contestant to a London recording studio close to Christmas this year so that they can record their own track which they would have written themselves and collaborated with Anthony Goldsborough and Amanda Neale.

The track will then be played on all of the radio stations that have been on the Junior Star Singer Songwriter Tour. The tour itself works in aid of a charity called Youth Music, which works to help to change the lives of children across the country, investing in projects to help disadvantaged youngsters to find a direction through music and musical expression. Rachael Summers has been telling the listeners about youth music on all of the junior staff singer shows. The whole of the tour is promoted especially to make people aware of the great work that Youth Music does across the UK, so please donate on “TOUR11 £5” to 70070.

Good luck to all the Halifax contestants, you did a superb job. Thanks to Howard too for a very cool show!

Amanda

x  

Making music magic in Bradford

West Yorkshire city Bradford is well known as the birthplace of magician Dynamo, which is why we chose it to work some of our very own musical magic on the Junior Star Singer Songwriter tour.

Amanda and Rachael arrived very early in the morning for BCB's breakfast show with Daniel Carroll presenter of the morning show, watching the sun rise as they arrived to greet contestants for the show.

Contestants all seemed very nervous but very excited as they were asked to take pictures with the hosts before warming up for their slots.  

Left to right: contestant Josie Baker, JSS host Amanda Neale, contestants Mia Tarrobal,
Shania Rowe and Mila Lee, JSS co-host Rachael Summers

In an interview with show host Daniel, Amanda gave the story behind the creation of Junior Star Singer Songwriter and explained how the tour works across the UK.

If anyone would like to enter as well next year, please apply through the Junior Star Singer website on www.juniorstar singer.co.uk  Next year, the Junior Star Singer crew expect to hit more radio stations around the UK, so look out in local schools for information as well as the main website.  Amanda Neale is also a regular Panelist for BBC radio Surrey and Sussex and Three Counties and gives information on the tour in her appearances so listen out for these.   Her next show on BBC radio Surrey and Sussex will be on September 6th on the lunchtime slot on the Allison Ferns show.  

The contestants for the Bradford show were: Shania Rowe, Mia Tarrobal, Josie Baker, Mila Lee. 

With a range of covers and their own material the contestants sang their hearts out for Bradford breakfast listeners at 8 'o' clock on a Saturday morning and were interviewed afterward. While it may have been early, there was no sign of any tiredness or flakiness!!!  Catch a peek at their performance below and choose your favourite contestant.  It's very tough to decide as they are all fantastic.

Later on in the show, Rachael gave information on the charity Youth Music so that listeners could text donate and give to an extremely worthwhile cause.  The whole of the tour is promoted especially to make people aware of the great work that Youth music do across the UK, so please donate on “TOUR11 £5” to 70070.

Looking forward to our next show in Halifax at Phoenix Radio!

See you soon!!XX

An exciting day at Surrey's Brooklands Radio

It was another exciting day for the Junior Star Singer production team on the UK radio tour, as they arrived on their latest stop at Brooklands Radio in the beautiful town of Weybridge in Surrey.  

Brooklands Radio also hosts Brooklands Future Starz, a show for young people to showcase their vocals which has been chocka with requests to have another series.  So we decided to also ask them to host the singing songwriting show Junior Star Singer Songwriter. 

Junior Star Singer Songwriter for Brooklands has gone out to applicants in the Surrey area who are interested in singing and songwriting as a combination.  Contestants will also be joining us at Surrey Hills radio station later in the year for this area.  We have asked contestants to come forward that show a flair and passion for songwriting, as well as great vocal ability.  So watch this space!!!  

Amanda Neale and her co-host Rachael Summers were joined by Graham Laycock, programme controller for Brooklands Radio.  They were excited to meet special guest Luke Richards who is just starting his demo with record producer Anthony Goldsborough.  Luke gave us an insight into what it is like in the day in the life of a songwriter, where some days he can churn out two songs with even the start of a third on its way! Amazingly, Luke has taught himself the guitar after writing his own songs from the time he was 10.  He is now looking forward to his first demo.  

Special guest, Luke Richards

The contestants for Brooklands Radio have been wonderful. The contestants were Olivia Sutton, Farai Chiyambukira, and Telisha Tugwell Robertson.  Catch Olivia Sutton here, who showed great character in her performance at Brooklands Radio.  Olivia is determined she wants to go the whole way in her music career.  With a strong, soulful vocal she is a great contestant for Junior Star Singer and we wish her lots of luck as we do for all our contestants!

Look out for Rachael Summers' tracks on her website www.rachaelsummersjss.com.  Rachael will be co-hosting shows for Junior Star Singer Songwriter up and down the country.  Just finishing her EP, she will be shooting her music video this coming September for her track 'Livin' the Dream', so listen out for further interviews on the radio tour.  Rachael has just supported Linda Muriel of 'Brand New Heavies' and 'Incognito' fame at the Piano Works in London for music show Brooke on the Street. 

If you need any information on the Junior Star Singer Songwriter Radio Tour, please email us through the website Junior Star Singer - a singing talent competition for 10-16 year olds  The tour will be running again next year and applications are welcome now.  See you all soon !!!! XX

Junior Star Singer Songwriter makes itself at home in the home of music

Few cities around the world can lay quite as big a claim to changing the face of music as Liverpool. As the birthplace of the Beatles, the city has made a lasting impact on the music scene, with many of today's musicians still citing John, Paul, George and Ringo as major influences.

We were therefore delighted to be able to add Liverpool to our list of cities in our UK tour. 

We are even more delighted to be lucky enough this to be included in one of the shows for the Liverpool International Music Festival Radio Station. This is held over a period of a month during the year, and is the very first of a grand new project launched by the organisers of the Liverpool International Music Festival. 

The radio station broadcasts locally on 87.7Fm, as well as online.  As a tribute to the city's contribution to modern music, the station reflects both the past and present Liverpool music scene as well as featuring artists and bands who will be taking part in July's event.

The radio station also has an array of presenters and DJs, highlighting the festival's commitment to new talent and the local scene and industry on a global scale.  LIMF radio will also provide training for young people who want to enter the industry.  Sessions are led by BBC Radio 1 presenter Adele Roberts, former founding manager BBC 1 Xtra Ray Paul and Laura Lukanz who is the former music manager of BBC 1Xtra and EVP of First Access Entertainment.

Junior Star Singer Songwriter had two amazing contestants from Liverpool this year.  The first was Tabitha Jade who has already been crowned in London in 2015 for the National Song Writing competition in front of a capacity crowd and panel of judges from Sony and Universal.  

Tabitha Jade

Tabitha was also finalist in two other national talent competitions (TeenStars and OpenMic UK).  She was the youngest ever to play at Liverpool Sound City and has since played at other major festivals in the calendar like Hope Fest, Soul Fest with Gabrielle, Jermaine Jackman (Voice 2014 winner).  Watch when we met Tabitha Jade in Liverpool outside the Cavern Club for an exclusive Junior Star Singer interview.  

Our next Liverpool contestant was Eleanor Nelly, a 16 year old singer/songwriter from Liverpool.  In just three years, Eleanor has played numerous venues and festivals all around the country. 

Eleanor Nelly

Eleanor plays with her newly formed backing band and has amazing strong vocals.  Good luck to both the contestants for Junior Star Singer Songwriter radio tour competition!

For further information on the tour, and information on the coming shows, please see Junior Star Singer - a singing talent competition for 10-16 year olds