Singer-songwriter Lisa Ward, who lives in Burra Isle, has beaten off competition from around 40,000 hopefuls to win a place in Tom Jones" team in BBC1's The Voice.
Lisa, 26, has been writing, playing and singing for many years and regularly performs in Shetland, either as one of the lead vocalists in a local indie band, Deathstar Canteen, or in singer-songwriter sessions. She was one of 23 Shetland musicians who performed for a BBC talent scout at Mareel in May 2014 and she subsequently attended auditions in Glasgow, eventually making it onto the final shortlist.
Lisa chose a Skunk Anansie number, Weak, for her audition in front of Tom Jones and fellow judges Ricky Wilson, Will.i.am and Rita Ora. It was a bold choice in the context of the show, in which contestants more often sing better-known classic mainstream ballads. However, Lisa's work ranges across musical styles and you can sample something different on this track, Secret Faces, from her new EP, Liminal, which was recorded at Mareel. The judges were intrigued that she'd come all the way from the islands to Manchester and Lisa has vowed to improve their knowledge of Shetland.
The Voice attracts a weekly audience of around 8 million and her many Shetland fans hope that she'll make it through successive stages in the series. We wish her well!