Music industry players crown Open Mic 2013 winner Heidi Brown

Heidi Brown wins UK’s widest singing competition

With A&R scouts and representatives from Sony Music, Warner Music Group and Universal Music, along with the likes of Kerrang! And 4Music presenter Alex Baker, Ivor Novello Award-winning Producer Mark Hill, River Studios MD Gareth Henderson and DJs from BBC Introducing and Capital FM all on the judging panel, and with nearly 10,000 entrants since August, the Open Mic 2013 winner has finally been revealed following the Grand Final at Birmingham’s NEC on Saturday, 18 January 2014

Heidi Brown, 28, was crowned the overall competition winner, having battled through auditions and regional and area final heats against more than 9,000 hopefuls. Heidi – whose own father has worked with the likes of Trevor Horn and Kate Bush – has won a comprehensive consultation package including social marketing, image and branding with Future Music, an initial extensive winner’s publicity package, a Lewitt microphone courtesy of John Hornby Skewes & Co. and an amazing £5,000 to spend on the development of her music

Head of Future Music, Chris Grayston, said “I’m in no doubt the competition this year had the most depth of talent we have ever seen and it’s really impressive to see how much undiscovered talent is out there”

Open Mic is presented by Future Music, the company behind the discovery of artists such as Jacob Banks, Warner Music’s Birdy, Columbia Records’ Lucy Spraggan, Union J’s Jaymi Hensley and Jahmene Douglas, both of which are now signed to Sony Music, and last year’s TeenStar winner and X Factor finalist Luke Friend

Future Music is also about to start auditions for TeenStar Competition, after Luke Friend took the title in its first year. It’s not too late to enter and audition in the coming weeks. To find out more and enter the TeenStar now go to www.teenstarcompetition.co.uk