Kenilworth girl group reach final of singing contest

Belle Harmonie, made up of Kenilworth friends Rachel Fisher, 17, Molly Homer, 17, Ellie Jackson, 16, and Lauren McDonnell, 18, entered the Open Mic UK competition for unsigned groups last September with an initial audition in Milton Keynes.

After progressing through, they sang at the regional finals on Saturday November 14 at the NEC and managed to reach the grand final after their performance.

Rachel Fisher said: “We got great comments from the panel of judges at the first auditions, and the regional final was an incredibly tough competition but we managed to take one of the few places in the grand final.”

The grand final will be held on Saturday January 23 at the NEC, and Belle Harmonie will be competing in the 16 to 20 age category.

The group will be up against four acts that all won their respective regional finals.

If Belle Harmonie win, they will receive £5,000, and will have likely impressed the panel of judges which is made up of several music industry professionals.

The group has stated they will be rehearsing harder than ever to prepare for the final, and that they would be ecstatic if they ended up winning the competition.

The group has been active since March 2012 after they met each other at Kenilworth School and have played gigs at many local events, including Christmas light switch-ons in Kenilworth, Leamington and Warwick.

They cite singers Bruno Mars and Meghan Trainor as influences, as well as the successful girl group Little Mix, who won the 2011 series of The X Factor.

David Homer, father of Molly, said: “They stand a great chance of winning as they not only sing and dance but also bring energy and bounce to the whole proceedings.”