Student Success at Open Mic UK

Last month, second year Psychology student Alex Dodd, also known as Alexandra Jayne, made it to the Grand Final of the national unsigned singer/songwriter competition, Open Mic UK.

Although still an up-and-comer, Alexandra Jayne is no stranger to live performances, having played at Liverpool venues such as Lomax, Zanzibar and Heebie Jeebies, not to mention the array of venues around Stafford and the Midlands where she is originally from.

Alexandra Jayne’s journey on Open Mic UK began when she went for open auditions at Birmingham’s NEC where she sang an original song called ‘Home’ to eight judges. She made it through to the regional final (also held at the NEC) and then to the area final held in Bedford. The process saw her beat 9,000 people to make it to the final twenty-two in her age group. She won this round to make it to the grand final.

The Grand Final was held at the O2 Arena in London where Alexandra re-worked Will.I.Am and The Script’s ‘Hall of Fame’ with one her original songs. This was given a terrific response by the judges Annie Nightingale and Simon Huthbert, who has worked with Ed Sheeran and Professor Green. X Factor’s Lucy Spraggan, who has also competed in Open Mic UK in the past, also made an appearance in a mentor role.

Alexandra did not win but she was extremely happy with what she achieved. She said: “It was a really good experience to just perform, not necessarily win. I was just chuffed to get where I was in the first place.”

Speaking to The Tab about her background, Alexandra said: “It’s funny how artists are influenced by the most unlikely musical genres. Like I love The Clash but I don’t sing like The Clash as that would just sound stupid.

“Lyrically, Joe Strummer and Bob Dylan are definitely up there. Lyrics are a big thing for me as I think if you’re going to write something you may as well mean it. That’s really important to me.”

Alexandra Jayne has been compared to an assortment of artists ranging from Stevie Nicks to Kelly Clarkson and you can catch her at the American Bar & Grill in Liverpool on the 13th of February at 8pm.

You can also catch her on facebook, her website and YouTube

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