A young Bolton singing sensation, who has performed with stars such as Snoop Dogg and Akon, has spoken of her excitement of performing at the town’s Christmas illuminations alongside Amir Khan tonight.
Amy Louise Aldred, known as ‘Redd’ by fans, will perform her new single at the annual lights switch on in Victoria Square which will be shown live on the BBC’s One Show from 7pm.
The 24-year-old rose to international stardom after recording her debut single I’m Day Dreaming with renowned rappers Snoop Dogg and Akon.
Amy, from Edgworth, who performed at the lights switch on in 2006, said: “I am very excited.
“It’s great to have the backing from my home town.
“The whole idea of the BBC One Show being there is amazing and certainly creates an opportunity to hopefully meet new people and maybe even some new fans.
“But then all my performances are very important to me regardless of the audience.”
The single is already available on iTunes and Clubland 23 and has proven to be a YouTube sensation with 20 million views and has stormed the charts internationally, reaching number one in Finland and number two in Japan.
“I worked with Supasound on this single, a great producer, and we wrote this track together in the studio,” she said.
“The idea was to create a feel good song for people to listen to any time of day or night.”
Being an avid believer of ‘Dare to Dream’, Amy made her choice to pursue her career of being an artist at the age of nine.
After years of pub gigs and shows up and down the UK, Amy went on the X Factor in 2010 as Amy Louise where she wooed judges with her performance of I Do Not Hook Up at the audition stages, before exiting the competition at Boot Camp.
However, this did not deter her ambitions, as within less than a year Amy had released ‘I’m Day Dreaming’ and in March 2011 released the chart-hitting Bedroom, featuring Pitbull and singer Qwote.
Since September 2011 Amy has released Dream Away, a song which has dubbed comparisons with Annie Lennox for her vocals, as well as Moments.
Amy, who has worked with big DJ’s and producers such as David May has also reached the voting stage of MTV Brand New and Unsigned 2014.
She added: “This has given me a chance of changing my life and career in music to a whole new level with the help from my fans.”
The Christmas lights switchon will start at 5pm, with The One Show presenters Matt Baker and Alex Jones due to go on air from 7pm.
The One Show’s appearance coincides with the fourth evening of the enduring eight-day Rickshaw Challenge for BBC Children in Need which involves a group of riders pedalling a rickshaw to cover 700 miles.
Performers include local talent such as the Majorettes, Rock Choir and the Children’s Workshop with a showcase appearance from Athens 2004 silver medallist Amir Khan.
The Leader of Bolton Council, Councillor Cliff Morris, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to welcome Amir to Bolton’s Christmas Lights switch-on and thrilled that he has agreed to flick the switch for us this year.
“We’ve pulled out all the stops again this year to make it a marvellous, magical Christmas in Bolton.
“Starting with the lights switch-on, we will have something for all the family in the run up to Christmas, including plenty of festive entertainment and attractions in the town centre.”
Free parking for the event can be accessed on Deane Road, Topp Way and the Octagon multi-storey car parks.
Image courtesy of Kontor Records via YouTube, with thanks.
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