A West Lothian teenager has given a behind the scenes look at her time on the Voice Kids, days after the final, which saw 14-year-old Israella win.
Freya Nicoll from Linlithgow, has spoken of the moment all four judges turned around for her rendition of Piece of My Heart in her blind audition and the experience of being on the show.
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The third year Linlithgow Academy student was just 13 when she went down to London to film The Voice Kids in November and December last year and again in January and February 2022 as the youngster had made the semi-finals.
All four judges turned their chairs around for Freya's performance, as she blew them away with a passionate cover of Piece of My Heart in her bare feet and a sparkly silver skirt.
Pixie Lott had goosebumps as she turned her chair and said: "You were owning the stage, and to be first to come out here with no nerves at all - hats off to you.
Danny Jones from McFly said: "Freya you have something that is so special, you are naturally gifted in the way that you sing, the way that you perform, the way that you aren't even wearing shoes."
The teen giggled at this and said, "Shoes are kind of uncomfortable and I like to be comfortable when I perform" later telling Edinburgh Live that she never wears shoes and performs barefoot like her idol Joss Stone.
Will.i.am said: "You were awesome, it's kind of amazing you are 13-years-old and your stage presence is as if you have been a lot in the industry and you are just like forget the executives I just want to be an artist.
"The entire world is going to look back on this performance and it's all going to make sense why you are so successful."
Pixie Lott then added: "Freya, you are so young and you have so much talent - you know exactly what it is you want to do and what kind of artist you are - you are very special."
Edinburgh Live caught up with Freya after she reached the semi-final of the popular show.
She said: "First performance I remember was when I was nine years old when I opened up Glasgow Pride Festival to a crowd of 7,000 people representing the “Year of the Young Scot”. I sang “This is me” from the Greatest Showman. It was a great experience and I knew then I was born to perform on stage!
"I got to meet our First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and she was so nice to me.
"The thing I love most about performing is the freedom I get to express myself.
"This is what I want to do when I’m older, although my heart lies in musical theatre. I train in musical theatre 15 hours per week and it’s my passion in life to one day train and perform in the West End and then Broadway!"
She continued: "I found out I was successful in gaining a Blind Audition on The Voice Kids, just before Christmas last year. My experience being on The Voice Kids was very exciting and any nerves I had got put aside by the fun of it all.
"I got to make friends for life and even though the process just to gain a Blind Audition was so hard and competitive, it was worth every moment.
"When I got four chair turns from all four judges it made the whole process so worthwhile as it was only myself and another boy who achieved all four chair turns this year! It was great to hear all four coaches pitching to have me on their team!"
The teen also explained that she had to keep her big show secret for nearly 12 months from family and school friends.
"It was difficult to keep my Blind Audition a secret for nearly a year!" She said.
And added "My favourite song to sing is a hard question to answer as I have so many. I couldn’t pinpoint any one song but would definitely be from a Musical Theatre perspective. My favourite performer is Joss Stone, as she has such an amazing voice and she performs barefoot just like I do."
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Freya explained apart from all of the stars she looks up to there is one that stands out from the rest. She said: "My inspiration is my mum as she has always been there for me to help and support me.
"Another inspiration would be big iconic performers such as Freddy Mercury, Barbara Streisand, and Jennifer Hudson, as I love to sing big vocals as well as perform as they do."
The West Lothian teen has big plans for 2023 so watch this space. She said: "Overall, I am really looking forward to seeing what 2023 brings for me. I already have a few things to look forward to, so keep an eye on my Instagram page!'
It seems West Lothian is set for another superstar. You can follow Freya's journey on here Instagram page here.
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