A SCHOOLGIRL from Yate has sung her way through to the regional finals of a national talent competition.

Twelve-year-old Naomi Ogborne won a place in the next round of the Teenstar UK competition and is now hoping to get through to the national finals.

The youngster, who first started singing with the choir whilst at Raysfield Junior School, has won other singing competitions in the past but nothing as high profile as the Teenstar awards, which has previously seen X Factor star Luke Friend take the title.

Naomi, who sings under the name Naomi Jean, sang within the school, at Filton College and Bristol’s Colston Hall with the school choir but only sang on her own for the first time at a family birthday party.

Her mum Julie said: “The first time she sang to an audience was at her aunty’s 50th birthday party where there were about 100 people. She sang Adele’s Someone Like You acapella style and everyone said she had a great voice for 10 years and that she should get her voice trained.

“Since then she has been having singing lessons and is currently working towards her grade 4 singing exam.

“She has entered a couple of other singing competitions and won one of them and has also sung at other birthday parties, including her sister’s 18th.”

TeenStar is a national singing competition searching for the UK’s best teens and pre-teens singers, songwriters, rappers and vocalists of all genres who perform either covers or original material. The later stages of the competition gives youngsters the chance to be seen, and signed, by record labels and producers.

Naomi will compete in the regional finals in Bristol on April 12. If she wins one of two places through to the area final she is in with a chance of appearing at London’s O2 Arena and a share of a £20,000 prize fund.

For more information visit www.teenstarcompetition.co.uk or search Naomi Jean on Facebook.