TEENAGER Emily Middlemas is set to be Scotland’s next singing sensation after beating a field of 9000 to win a top national talent contest.

After producing stunning performances to win TeenStar in front of a capacity crowd at the NEC in Birmingham, the 15-year-old singer songwriter now has sights set on the X Factor.

And the likeable Glasgow schoolgirl will do it her way by singing her own compositions to Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and co.

In Birmingham, singing her own original song ‘Goodnight Kiss’, Emily won over the competition industry judges making her the winner of both the mid-teen age category and the overall winner, clinching a £5000 recording and development deal.

Last year’s winner of the first TeenStar – with the final held at London’s O2 and when Emily was third in her age category – was Luke Friend who went on to finish third in the X Factor.

She said, “I’ve been singing properly since I was nine but really I’ve been singing all my life. When I was younger, I was always saying ‘I want to be a singer’ so I thought I should really take this into consideration and do something about it.

“I started writing songs when I was nine and I got it all together when I was 11. I’ve written loads of songs since then on piano and guitar.

“Music plays a really big part in my life. If I didn’t have music I wouldn’t know what else to do.” Emily’s older brothers, aged 16 and 17, are musical and together with her parents have played their part in encouraging her career.

“They used to play the drums and that’s what inspired me. I used to watch them in their band playing at Wickerman Festival and stuff and I’d say, ‘I want to be up on stage like them’.

“I joined the club they were going to which is called ‘Loud ‘n’ Proud’. I learned piano there and joined a band. I moved school to McCallum School of Music and took vocal lessons there.

“I’ve played in the Armadillo in a show called the ‘Apollo’ with ‘Loud ‘n’ Proud’ and we were re-enacting the old times again.

“I did the encore song which was ‘Rockin All Over the World’ by Status Quo. It was just this wee girl on stage with everybody else behind me. It was crazy, I loved it.” Emily, who is about to go into fifth year at school, went on, “I can leave school this year but it would be good to get some Highers. Music opens up your mind more and actually helps your concentration which is also good for school.

“My friends are really, really supportive and it’s so good to have that.” On her recent success and with X Factor looming, Emily said, “It’s quite exciting. It all feels dream-like. It’s weird, so surreal.

“The £5000 prize will go to recording and hopefully I’ll get an EP or single out soon. On X Factor I’m doing my own songs and I’ll be singing my heart out.

“I like getting my own songs out there. I do some covers but when I do I like to change them into my own style so that it’s not just copying somebody but making it unique.”