Local girl Lisa McKechnie in birthday sing-off

Jan 13 2011 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

THE best birthday present for local songbird Lisa McKechnie would be to hit the big time after reaching the grand final of a national singing contest.

On her 20th birthday this Saturday, the Bellshill lass will perform at the Open Mic UK grand final in London’s O2 Arena.

Lisa, a former pupil at Bellshill Academy, has already succeeded in two earlier rounds of the talent competition, singing first in the regional finals in Glasgow and then the area final in Manchester at the end of last year.

She was eventually given a wild card entry into the final 25 of the aged 18 to 25 category of the contest after a public text vote.

The musical theatre student, who studies at the University of the West of Scotland, will fly to London on Friday, in the hope of bagging the star prize, a recording contract.

She said: “I am really excited about the show. It has been murder this week, because I’m preparing for a big show at university as well, so my head is bursting with all the things I have to learn.

“In the first two rounds, I sang ballads. But I have decided to have a bit more fun with it, choosing to do some R‘n’B songs instead.

“I was totally shocked and overwhelmed when I learned I had got this far.

“It was a public vote, and I had asked a lot of people I knew to text in for me.

“There were people in Bellshill stopping me in the street and telling me they had voted for me to go through, so I’m very happy.”

Around 8000 hopefuls entered the Open Mic contest nationwide, but Lisa’s raw talent saw her through to the competition final stage.

She explained this week that she has been interested in singing ever since she was a child, and even appeared in the Advertiser after winning a child singing contest in 1995, aged only four years old.

“Ever since I was a wee girl, I just wanted to sing all the time,” said Lisa.

“At school, I was always looking through newspaper and the internet trying to see if there were any auditions I could take part in.

“I wouldn’t say I hated school, but I wasn’t a fan of going to maths classes and would prefer to be performing on stage.”

The student is now on her way to earning a degree in musical theatre.

“I love musical theatre,” she explained, “but I definitely prefer the pop side of things.

“A lot of people say they want to be a singer, but it is not as easy as all that.

“That’s why I’m doing my course, because I think it is important to have a back-up plan.

“Everyone needs a nine-to-five job to keep going.

“If my singing career doesn’t take off, then I can use my degree to maybe go into teaching.”

Lisa mother, Kathleen, added: “We are all absolutely delighted Lisa has got this far, and it is an achievement in itself.

“I hope everyone supports her by voting.”

To vote for Lisa, please text OPEN 61 to 86222.

For more info, visit www.openmicuk.co.uk