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Last month Cornish singer Hayley Waller battled other national talent in a bid for a place in the regional finals of Open Mic UK 2012. Now, with only a few hours left she's preparing herself for the next round of the UK's largest singing competition that sees over 10,000 entrants each year.
Last month Cornish singer Hayley Waller battled other national talent in a bid for a place in the regional finals of Open Mic UK 2012. Now, with only a few hours left she's preparing herself for the next round of the UK's largest singing competition that sees over 10,000 entrants each year.
"I've had just a month to prepare for the regional finals. Open Mic UK is so different to any other singing competition I've entered in the past. We're expected to prove commitment to the music industry alongside our ability to perform to a live, paying audience" says Hayley, who's spent the last month dividing her time and efforts between Cornwall and Yorkshire, her second base.
"Cornwall is very close to my heart. It's my home, regardless where I base myself with work, but I've always known that I'd have to spread myself further afield if I wanted a fuller career in the arts, whether that's performing, singing or writing."
After a health-forced break of 2 years, Hayley started retraining vocally earlier this year. Back with new songs, a new show and a fiery passion, Hayley's determined to take her singing as far as she possibly can, putting Cornwall on the map every step of the way. "I'm incredibly proud of my origin. My family have always encouraged me to take pride in my heritage and roots but they've also encouraged me to be an explorer. I've lived in various parts of the UK and have always felt it important to represent Cornwall and the talent that it brews. We've got so many talented artists and I'd be over the moon to represent Cornwall in the grand finals of Open Mic UK 2012 in London."
Despite being almost 400 miles from Camborne, she's recieved strong support from her hometown fans and her Yorkshire fans alike.
Just a few weeks ago Dave Pascoe, manager and presenter of Penwith Radio invited Hayley to his breakfast show to share her recent successes and a selection of her covers with local listeners. After the live interview and air of Hayley's new tracks, Penwith Radio kindly requested current and future recordings as other presenters showed interested in sharing Hayley's progress and tracks with their listeners.
"The support has been great. I performed my new sets at The Junction which was fantastic. It was great to see that months of hard work resulted in putting a smile on so many faces. Over half of the songs in my set were fresh additions so I wasn't sure how they'd be received." It turns out Hayley's worry was misplaced. What was originally a two set affair soon became 3 sets of fresh vocal diversity.
"I'd prepared 2 sets specifically for The Junction, but had a third new set that they wanted to see and as they were such a great crowd, I was overjoyed to share it."
A week on and Hayley's now packing her costume, hair piece and make up for her trip to Dewsbury where a live audience will watch her and 20 others perform and be judged for Open Mic UK.
"It's like an adventure" says Hayley, "400 miles is a long way to travel to support a one-song-performance, but my Cornish friends, family and fans can support me by liking my facebook page where I'll be keeping everyone updated on what happens tonight."
Support Hayley by visiting her facebook page, twitter or blog or listening to her tracks on ReverbNation.
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