Mayo cousins partake in national singing contest

Belmullet cousins Lexie Padden (15) and Mary Kate Gaughan (14) have entered into the Ivory Sessions talent competition.

Videos of both of their performances will be uploaded to the Ivory Sessions Facebook and Instagram pages next Monday.

Lexie, who has been singing since she was three years old  ‘just for fun’, told The Mayo News, she ‘entered the competition for the experience and to sing in a recording studio’. 

The teenager said she loves ‘all types of music’ but superstar Taylor Swift is her ‘biggest inspiration’.  

Mary Kate began singing when she was ‘very little, probably around two’. Inspired to sing by her Nanny ‘Froggy’ who is a ‘brilliant singer’, the fourteen-year-old said the competition ‘sounded like fun and a great experience, so me and Lexie both decided to enter’.

Both of the youngsters said they  ‘would love to both make it to the final together’.

The video will be up for seven days, after which the ten videos with the highest number of views on both platforms will progress to the final round of the competition, which will take place in Navan, on April 7.

The Ivory Sessions is described as ‘an artist's perspective’, and is an exciting music network with collaborations worldwide.

It is a brand new innovative Music Network connecting artists all over the world. 

The contest creates high quality live music and makes it available and accessible to people throughout the globe, while also supporting the career and development of the musicians involved.

All 50 Entrants gain a personalised online performance with award-winning producer, arranger, and pianist, Mark Cahill. The top ten most viewed performers win a place in the finals, where they each perform two songs.

This year’s final kicks off in Navan at 7pm on April 7, where after a combination of the audiences and judges votes, one entrant will be crowned the winner of an epic grand prize: a digital piano, €500 cash, and the release of your own song to Spotify and Apple Music.

The north Mayo cousins are calling for your support to help get them there.

You can find their performances on Monday, February 26, on the Ivory Sessions Facebook and Instagram pages.