A SINGING Fishguard schoolgirl is hitting all the right notes, having got through to the live shows of this year's Open Mic UK competition.

Tarish Matthews went to Bristol for the first stage of the audition process last Saturday, September 28.

Fifteen-year-old Tarish, who says she has been singing forever, impressed the judges with her rendition of Beyoncé's Listen.

She then had to wait in another room to find out if she had been successful.

"I wasn't nervous during the audition, I was confident in what I was doing," she said. "But I was nervous waiting for the judges' decision."

The judges were so impressed by Tarish's performance that they put her through to the next stage; the live shows in Bristol City Academy on October 26, where she will have the chance to perform in front of live crowds and industry judges.

Tarish is in her final year of Ysgol Bro Gwaun and has won the role of Margot in this year's school musical, Legally Blonde.

She loves to sing pop music and is a big fan of big-voiced divas like Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé. She is thinking of singing a Jennifer Hudson number for her next audition.

The overall winner of Open Mic UK will win: recording studio time to record their album and a video of the best single as well as extensive media promotion from a professional PR company:

"It would mean so much to me to win," said tarish. "I want people to know my music."

For more information about Open Mic UK, visit www.openmicuk.co.uk/.