Girl band reaches for new heights...

EVERY teenager dreams of being a pop star... and these Gainsborough girls are living that dream.

Girl band The Kicks have reached new heights after landing a place in national talent contest Open Mic UK.

For 16-year-olds Lucy Davies, Sophie Warriner and Jaide Aston, their friendship has blossomed through singing together.

And after successfully getting through the first round of auditions, The Kicks are now warming up for the regional finals.

“It’s amazing that we have got through - we only learned our audition song in the car on the way to Sheffield,” said Lucy.

But their a capella mash-up of a Fergie song and a Jessie J song clearly impressed the judging panel of leading music industry professionals.

“We sang Big Girls Don’t Cry and Who You Are, and when we had finished it looked like they wanted more, but we didn’t have any more,” said Jaide.

“They were smiling but they are not allowed to tell you how you’ve done until the end.”

“We had to wait behind the scenes for ages before they came and told us we were through. We screamed when we found out.”

The Kicks got together at Trent Valley Academy.

“I had been doing a few open mic performances at school and the others wanted to have a go too, so we tried it and it really worked,” said Lucy.

Sophie added: “We realised we sounded better together than we did on our own. And we’ve got more confidence as a group.”

Since then, they have even performed at Gainsborough’s biggest event, the Riverside Festival.

“It was amazing to be on stage. It was loads of fun and all our friends were there,” said Lucy.

The Kicks describe their singing style as ‘pop with a difference’, and they hope they will stand out in the next round of Open Mic UK.

On Sunday 30th September the girls will take to the stage again at Sheffield City Hall.

And they need YOUR support to get through to the next stage.

“It’s based on the audience vote and ticket sales,” explained Lucy.

“We’ve got to sell 25 tickets to be in with a chance.”

Sophie said: “We’re nervous but really excited because all our family will be there. Hopefully we’ll make them all proud.”

If they are successful, the next stage is the Open Mic UK area finals, then the chance to play in front of thousands at the huge live final at the O2 Arena in London. The prize pot is worth £50,000.

• To find out more about The Kicks, and how to get tickts, see www.facebook.com/thekicksofficial

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