"Spotted" in the street

Tia Jean was just a normal 14-year-old girl - until a music producer heard her singing in the street...

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved to sing. When I was really tiny I used to run around the house pretending to be Toni Braxton. I was such a drama queen that my mum enrolled me in drama school when I was just three years old.

Freestyling in the street

I started at drama school when I was six, that's where I really learned to sing and to be confident enough to stand up and do it in front of anyone.

Most of my friends from school were into singing and stuff and we used to start freestyling it whenever we felt like it. We didn't care where we were or who was listening, it was so much fun.

And that's how I got my big break. Me and my friend were walking down Stoke Newington High Street, and she starting rapping, so I just made up some lyrics and sang along with her. We were only messing around, that was the kind of thing we did all the time. But this guy came over and told me he was a singer, and that he ran a studio and thought I had potential.

The day my life changed

I wasn't sure whether to take him seriously, so I told him to prove he was a singer. Well, he opened his mouth and the sound that came out just blew me away - he was a singer alright!

“My life has changed so much”

He introduced me to a few people and soon I met my manager. After that, doors started opening and my life changed so much.

Since then I've traveled a lot. I went to Miami to record with Cham who is signed to Atlantic records. The song, Bad Boys, is now on his album I think it's a great summer track.
I've also been asked to be the lead vocalist in 'FreeFonix,' which is a BBC animated series. I'm on Randy Jackson's new album, who's one of the judges on American Idol. And Walk Away, my debut single as a solo artisit, was BBC 1Xtra's Record Of The Week. It's all been so exciting.

Self-belief is the key

If I ever feel unsure about what to do, I think about what Beyonce would do. I really admire her hard work and determination. She's always on point and never fails to deliver.

I am also a big fan of Tina Turner I don't think that a lot of people really know how much she went through, but she was still so successful and determined. She achieved so much and was able to hide her troubled home life.

“Believe in yourself and you'll get there”

Whatever it is in life you want to achieve, if you believe in yourself, work hard, and do what it takes to succeed, you can get there.

I'm just a normal girl from Hackney really, but I've always believed in myself and I think I'm about to be rewarded for that. So, please wish me luck with the rest of my career!

And good luck from me to you too!