A singer who “sung her heart out” to battle against thousands of other musicians, has made it through to the finals of a national competition.

Emma Norman, of Crest View, Pinner, auditioned for Live and Unsigned at the Palace Hotel, Manchester, making it through to the final.

The competition, which is filmed as part of Sky 1’s hit TV show Live and Unsigned, gives hopeful singers the chance to win £10,000 in prize money.

Emma, who sings under the stage name Emma Elizabeth, said performing in front of the judging panel was “nerve-wracking.”

She said: “I’ve performed in front of people before, but it was scary knowing that this was for something that could make or break my life really, because it’s all I want to do. I sung my heart out up on that stage - it was so nerve-wracking."

The 21-year-old, who studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, performed an original two-minute song called Run Away and was sent to the waiting area with 500 other hopefuls while the judges decided her fate.

She said: “I knew that competition was steep, so I really thought the judges were going to say no, because there was such amazing talent there. It was so tense, but such an amazing moment when I found out I’d made it through to the next stage. I felt so elated.”

The fine arts student will perform at the Royal Northern College of Music on 14 April, in a live Regional Final Showcase, battling it out for the chance to play at over 100 Festival slots – including Beach Break Live, Boardmasters, Bearded Theory, Strawberry Fields and Osfest.

She added: “Winning would present such an amazing opportunity. I know there’s only a 50/50 chance of winning, so I’m not getting my hopes up, but I’m still trying to stay positive because it’s such an exciting experience for me.”