Bognor rapper in Live and Unsigned competition

Adam Turner, of Seymour Place, battled against hundreds of auditionees to secure his spot in the next round of Live and Unsigned – the largest original music competition in the UK for unsigned bands and artists.

“I couldn’t believe it when they told me I was through. The feeling was absolutely brilliant. A lot of the people who had been in my audition group were told no and when the person with the clipboard came to talk to me I thought I was going home.

“It was a shock when they told me all of the judges were really impressed with me and it was a yes,” said the 24-year-old.

Adam’s success means he will now take part in a live regional final showcase in front of an audience of hundreds.

“I am really looking forward to the next stage. To be honest at first I was unsure about entering as my music - a mix of hip-hop and pop - is not what you would stereotypically call radio friendly.

“But now I am glad I took the risk,” said Adam. “I really hope my home town of Bognor get behind me and support me. This for me is the dream.”

The competition, which over the last five years has attracted some 50,000 hopefuls, promotes originality within the music industry, and is open to all genres of music from heavy rock to rap.

Chris Grayston, the competition’s events director, said: “Live and Unsigned is all about originality, live ability and credibility. We don’t except demos or submissions and everyone auditions live.

“We’ve got some fantastic prizes up for grabs this year, including a new main cash prize of £10,000, festival slots and other prizes to make this year’s competition our biggest ever.”

The regional final showcase will be held on April 22 at Highlight in Gunwharf Keys, Portsmouth.

If all goes well Adam could receive a cash boost to help him further his careers and get the chance to play at some of the biggest festivals in the country including - Strawberry Fields, Osfest and Beach Break Live.

The competition’s grand final will take place at Live Fest in London’s O2.