Valley schoolboy set to perform in finals of Open Mic UK contest

Joel Taylor is set to hit the high note and compete against 10,000 acts to be crowned winner of one of Britain's largest music competitions.

The 15-year-old singing sensation recently won "Bowlands Got Talent", followed by a winning performance in Manchester, which saw him sail through to the finals of the 2020 Open Mic competition to be held at the 02 London Arena.

Thanks to its nationwide status as a leading music competition, Open Mic UK gives acts from all over the country the chance to compete, receive music industry feedback and grow to be the UK’s best on the mic. It offers thousands of pounds worth of prizes, including free photos and films of the performance and recording studio time. The overall winner of Open Mic UK wins studio time to record their debut album and a video for the best single, plus extensive media promotion.

Commenting on his achievement so far, Joel said: "I feel like I'm in a dream and it's really awesome! To be completely honest, I didn't think I would be able to get this far, but thanks to the people who have supported me I somehow have! I just want to thank everyone who has supported me from the beginning, from my family, to my friends and of course my school."

His proud parents Darren and Lisa Taylor, added: "We are so incredibly proud of Joel and what he has achieved so far. As parents we are very appreciative of all the support that Joel has received from his friends, family as well as locally. We are all very excited and cannot wait to see what the future holds for him."

Joel has been performing from an early age and attended Back Stage Pass at The Grand in Clitheroe. This promoted his skills and love for singing and acting. He performed in "Oliver" and "Bugsy Malone". Earlier this year he played Fagan in Bowland's school show. Joel realised he wanted to be a singer following a performance in Year 9 at Bowland's Got Talent. Joel's first guitar was passed to him as a gift from a family friend when he was aged just 11. He has since developed his guitar playing abilities with the support of his guitar teacher Hannah Spurgeon, of Good Vibrations Ribble Valley.

Although Joel is currently only focusing on his GCSE exams, looking ahead he is determined to secure a place at the famous Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which is co-founded by Sir Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty, Founder. Joel is aspiring to study song-writing to further his craft as a singer song-writer.