Faryl Smith - an ordinary schoolgirl with an extraordinary talent

On May 31 2008, Faryl Smith's life changed dramatically when she sang her way into people's hearts and minds all over Britain during the final round of ITV's "Britain's Got Talent."

One minute Faryl Smith was an ordinary schoolgirl from Northamptonshire who liked to sing in the choir, play soccer, and shop with her friends - the next minute Simon Cowell was praising her in front of a national television audience, calling her "literally one in a million" and "the most talented youngster I've ever heard."

Now about to sign the largest record deal ever awarded to a schoolgirl, Cowell's endorsement may one day be worth its weight in platinum!

A star is born

Faryl's parents, Tony and Linda, think Faryl inherited her musical genes from her great-grandmother, who "used to sing on the Welsh radio and won a lot of competitions," and still has a healthy pair of lungs at the age of 95!

"My grandfather's Welsh, so there's Welsh blood in me," Faryl adds. "And Harry Secombe is in our family tree. I think the musical thing just missed a couple of generations and came down to me. It certainly skipped my parents," Faryl chuckles.

Good genes aside, Faryl gives plenty of credit to her history of singing in choirs. In addition to being a chorister in her local church choir, she's a regular performer with Kettering's Masquerade Youth Choir, a group which boasts some impressive achievements.

"The choir go to Llangollen every year, and we won it this year, actually. We also got to the final of the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year. And we got through to 'Last Choir Standing' (on BBC television), but our choir teacher thought it would demand too much time and be too pressurized for us, so he withdrew us from it."

" literally one in a million ...the most talented youngster I've ever heard "

Simon Cowell

Not just one of the crowd

Faryl's choral experiences have been important in shaping her voice and her choice of repertoire. "The choir sing contemporary songs and ballads, but they're mainly classical," she explains. "My singing teacher started me off with show songs and stuff because I was at that age, then after that we moved on to classical songs. If it wasn't for the choir I don't think I would be singing as a soloist, because they bring you out and let you know that you have got a voice. But of course when you're singing with the choir you're not a soloist, you're part of the group."

Faryl is taking piano lessons to round her musical knowledge, (time pressures forced her to give up the guitar). "I know quite a lot about music now I'm playing the piano," she points out, "and it helps with the singing and recording. It means that if people start talking about crotchets and quavers I do have some idea what they're talking about."

Faryl's got talent

Despite her youth, Faryl already has some impressive achievements under her belt. When she was 10, she won three awards at the Eisteddfodd (a world-renowned festival of music, song and dance) in her hometown of Kettering, Northants. She later took first prize in the 10-15 age group at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfodd. In November 2007, she reached the final round of the Festival 4 Stars in Glasgow.

"We just enter these things and see what happens," she shrugs, laughing. "Everything I do is just gaining experience."

Nerves of steel

2008, a year to remember for Faryl, is set to be the first of many - everyone agrees that Faryl is destined for something special.

Besides the emotional power of her voice, what impressed judges and audiences most about Faryl was her amazing composure and maturity. If she felt nervous walking out to sing in front of the TV cameras, you would never have known it.

"I'm nervous before I go on," she admits, "but once I get on stage and start singing, I'm fine. I try not to look at the audience because it would probably put me off - I just look at a spot on the wall or something."

Controlling her nerves and being a great soloist is something Faryl has learned a lot about from her musical heroine, Katherine Jenkins, who has been keeping a watchful eye on Faryl's progress.

"Katherine has been a great inspiration, definitely," says Faryl. "I sing some of her songs as well. She's got the whole package. She's got the look, she has the ability to reach out to all kinds of people, she's got everything. I met her before I did 'Britain's Got Talent,' and she said, 'Enter every competition you can and you'll meet different people, it will bring your confidence out. Then something might happen from there.' Obviously it did - good advice!"

" Breathtaking voice simply stunning "

Katherine Jenkins

Keep it simple

Despite her sudden fame, Faryl hasn't felt any urge to start behaving like a prima donna. "I don't want to be one of those bossy superstars," she says with strong determination, "I'm only from a small town and I'm not going to behave like that. My friends still treat me the same. They don't treat me like a famous person, they're very supportive." Faryl's family are also extremely supportive of her fledgling career - they're keen to ensure that Faryl can fly high whilst keeping her feet on the ground.

Despite Faryl's packed schedule (which also includes acting!), she's doing her best to keep turning out for her local all-girls soccer team ("I'm the strong one, I barge people out of the way"). The Beautiful Game exerts a powerful grip on the Smith household - her brother Shea is a keen fan and her dad is the chairman of a local youth soccer club. "I've been brought up to support Manchester United," she says. "I kind of have to...I'd be kicked out of the house if I supported Liverpool."

And after all that, any spare time is devoted to shopping.