Francesca aims to give the Academy a music lesson

ASINGER-SONGWRITER from West Lancashire is set to take the main stage at a prestigious London venue.

Francesca Fairclough, known as Francesca Louise on stage, from Burscough, will take the main stage at O2 Academy, in Islington, where bands such as album chart-toppers The Enemy have performed.

The 23-year-old graduate has earned a spot in Soundwave Music Competition UK, to be held on Sunday, March 18 at 5pm.

The folk-pop artist has beaten hundreds of acts to get to this stage in the competition, a national talent search to discover the “next big thing”.

Francesca has taken the competition with ease so far, and swiftly passed all the initial auditions in September 2017.

Her performance at O2 Academy will be judged by people from the music industry, and she will perform alongside 15 acts from around London.

They will be competing to win a place in the grand final, where they could be in with a chance of winning a full UK tour and the potential to be signed by management and recording companies.

Previous winners of the competition have gone on to be successful, such as Sam Lavery, who appeared on The X Factor.

Francesca Louise has already established a loyal following and is gaining popularity by playing as much as possible.

She is excited about having the opportunity to play on the same stage as some of her idols.

She said: “I cannot wait to hit that main stage and share my music with everyone. I am totally honoured to be playing such an iconic venue.”

Francesca’s dream of being an artist began as a young girl, and from the age of 15 she has been gigging as a solo artist.

Music also runs in her family.

Francesca said: “My mother, Joanne Fairclough, is the founder and conductor of a Burscough village choir, Consolette Choir, held at The Stanley Club every Tuesday.

“My father was also in a band at a young age, so music has been something that I’ve grown up with.”

The up and coming artist recently released her debut EP, Francesca Louise, and is currently working on her next single which is due to be released in the spring of 2018.

The EP is now available to listen to on apps such as Spotify and iTunes.