Charlotte reaches for the stars

8:58pm Monday 31st December 2007

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A TEENAGE girl is on the verge of a major recording contract after showcasing her music on social networking site Bebo.

Charlotte O'Connor's first ever performance was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as a five-year-old during her family's Christmas dinner.

But eleven years on, her self-penned song Steady Shark hit the number one spot for unsigned artists on Bebo's music showcasing section, which allows users to upload music and vote for their favourites.

The 16-year-old has also been listed in the top 100 talents for 2008 in the entertainment bible Redpapers, which is read by people in the music industry to find out who's hot and who's not.

And on January 7 she will audition for a recording contract with music industry giants Island Records and EMI.

Charlotte, of Meins Road, Blackburn, said: "I started playing the guitar at 15 then decided to write songs.

"I wasn't quite old enough to write songs about love or relationships - and to be quite honest I'm still not old enough - so I decided initially to base them on my sister's relationships."

Charlotte said her sister Harriet, 22, did not mind, and that she had now begun to write about her own experiences.

She said: "I've moved onto writing about quirky things like when I was a little girl and used to have an imaginary mouse called Kerry."

Charlotte set up a MySpace page earlier this year and within four hours of posting her songs to the site, the management company who discovered David Bowie, Queen and Vanessa Mae, raced from Bournemouth to Blackburn to sign her up.

Agent Sam Bush said: "A word we use a lot with Charlotte is natural.

"She is an extremely talented girl with a great future ahead of her.

"She is creating a lot of interest in the industry, and quite rightly so."

Mr Bush took the decision to promote her on Bebo, where she took the number one spot for unsigned artists and number 14 for signed artists worldwide.

Influenced by artists like Damien Rice, Pink and Michelle Branch, Charlotte said: "My music is mainly acoustic.

"I would say I have a soul, folk voice, and I hope it sounds unique - I wouldn't want to sound too much like anyone else."

Charlotte is so determined to succeed she has decided to leave school and concentrate on her music career.

She said: "I was just about to go into the lower sixth at Westholme School but I've just done my last term there because I decided that I wouldn't have been able to give my all to learning, and I can always go back to it at a later date."

Charlotte has perfomed at Darwen Library Theatre but more recenrly has supported Lee Ryan in concert in Bournemouth and has done gigs in London.

Her father, John said: "All she's ever done is sing, so we always knew she would have a career in the music industry."

• Click on the links below to see Charlotte's website and listen to some of her tracks.