As viewers follow her fortunes on this year’s series, we look back at other artists from Sheffield and elsewhere in South Yorkshire who have impressed in years gone by on TV talent shows, including The Voice, Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor, and what they have gone on to do.
Sheffield's Maxwell Thorpe was the favourite to win Britain's Got Talent this year, with his audition proving to be probably the series' stand-out moment. The classically trained opera singer, who has a young son, eventually had to settle for a runners-up spot. The 32-year-old has been busy since. He is due to appear in Jack and the Beanstalk at Sheffield's Lyceum Theatre this Christmas and he recently announced plans to release his debut single later this year in aid of Sheffield Children's Hospital. Photo: Matt Frost/ITV
Chanel Yates, from Broomhill, Sheffield, wowed judges on The Voice in early 2021. Now 23, she has been busy in the year-and-a-half since, recently featuring on the dreamr. and Ruff single Summer of '16, which has been streamed more than 3.5 million times on Spotify. Chanel is recently back from a trip to LA, where she was working with various artists on new songs, and she said she has 'some big tracks coming'. She told how being on The Voice had presented her with lots of opportunities, the best of which was getting to write a song, 20th Century Kid, with James McVey from The Vamps. "I've been a fan of The Vamps since I was a girl, so that was a dream come true," said Chanel, who also got to perform at the Tramlines festival in her home city. Photo: Chanel Yates/Instagram
Sheffield-born singer-songwriter Paul Pashley appeared on The Voice in 2016, impressing judge will.i.am with his cover of the Arctic Monkeys' I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. The swing singer was already a successful artist, having performed at Wayne and Coleen Rooney’s wedding in 2008 and at former Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson’s 25th anniversary dinner. He has worked with the likes of Grammy-nominated songwriter Eliot Kennedy on a number of original songs that were co-written with Bryan Adams and Gary Barlow. Paul has shared the stage over the years with artists including Beverley Knight, Alfie Boe, Craig David, Simon Webbe and Mick Hucknall. He has released a four-track Learn To Fly EP, co-written with Steve Edwards, and a live album, which featured reinterpretations of popular modern songs alongside original tracks. Photo: Submitted
Lavelle Daley, from Sheffield, made a big impression on Britain's Got Talent in 2017 as part of The Miss Treats. Having written songs for other artists she is now focusing on releasing her own work, and plans to release new music towards the end of the year. She describes her new sound as a mix of RnB and pop, which is 'very 90s influenced but with a new school twist'. Her biggest inspiration is her son Jaleel, aged four, who has autism and is non-verbal. "He's 100 per cent inspired my music. He's the reason I'm determined to make it in the music industry because I want to be able to give him the life he deserves," said the 28-year-old. "He's my main priority and after that it's music." Photo: Lavelle Daley/Instagram