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"Overwhelmed"
was just about the only word Charlotte Dunn from Tamworth could
manage after beating off the challenge of 13 other talented contenders
to become the Staffordshire Pop Star of 2004.
The 18-year-old was chosen by a panel of judges headed by "Nasty"
Nigel Taylor from Staffordshire Performing Arts, assisted by Robbie
Williams' dad Pete Conway, the band singer Lesley Anne, the classical
performer Jenny Mason and the former lead of the Fortunes, Shel
Macrae.
A crowd
of around 400 packed the Victoria Hall in Hanley - many of them
supporting individual contestants - but because of circumstances,
Charlotte only had mum Sarah with her! But it didn't matter in the
end - the audience was enthralled by the high standard of all the
performances and cheered every one as loudly as the next.
Charlotte
changed her mind about which song to perform only a week before the
final. Originally it was going to be Mariah Carey's "Hero,"
but a late switch to Christina Aguilera's "I Turn To You"
paid off.
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"That
song means so much to me" said Charlotte, speaking to BBC
Radio Stoke's Jason Hardy, who was compere for the night.
The win certainly made up for the disappointment of not reaching the
final stages of the national Pop Idol contest in 2003 - but Charlotte
admits nerves may have got the better of her on that occasion.
Proud mum Sarah says she realised Charlotte had a talent when she
turned off her vacuum cleaner only to hear her 8-year-old daughter
singing beautifully in the next room. But mum's also hoping this win
will give Charlotte some of the confidence she may have lacked in
the past.
All the 14 contestants were winners on the night - every one had come
through regional finals to reach the Victoria Hall. And the judges
admitted making a decision about the winner had been extremely difficult,
with the 11 to 18 year olds bridging any age differences between them
and performing a wide range of musical styles.
"Many of them," remarked Nigel Taylor, "could
well go on to have careers in the future."
Charlotte's immediate prize includes a day in a recording studio and
a tour of BBC Radio Stoke for her and her family. But what's next?
"I'm planning to go to Uni, but after this, who knows?"
she says.
Finalists
The contestants were:
Sally Anne Keeler, 12, from Clayton who sang Celine Dion's "My
Heart Will Go On"
Sophie Brambley, 13, from Newcastle who performed Roberta Flack's
"Killing Me Softly (With His Song)"
Kelly Task, 17, from Leek who sang Whitney Houston's "Run To
You"
Kayleigh Knight, 16, from Leek who performed the Eagles' "Love
Will Keep Us Alive"
James Heaney, 16, from Fradley near Lichfield who sang Ronan Keating's
"If Tomorrow Never Comes"
Lisa Young, 16, from Lichfield who performed Christina Aguilera's
"Beautiful"
Katie Haigh, 17, from Rugeley, who sang her own composition "Does
She?"
Jocelyn Milner, 16, from Leek who performed Norah Jones' "Don't
Know Why"
Fay Northcott, 11, from Leek who sang Dido's "Life For Rent"
Rachel White, 16, from Stretton near Burton who performed Shania
Twain's "From This Moment On"
Charlotte Dunn, 18, from Tamworth who sang Christina Aguilera's
"I Turn To You"
Thomas Swain, 17, from Stafford who performed R. Kelly's "I
Believe I Can Fly"
Georgina Barrett, 16, from High Offley near Eccleshall who sang
Sting's "Fields of Gold"
Felicity Birt, 15, who performed Odyssey's "Goin' Back To My
Roots"
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