Singer’s dreams are flying high

NEW girl band The Seraphims — Amanda Bennett (right), Sam Hilton (centre) and Roxie Lowe — at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Amanda joins an angelic pop trio

AN Oldham singer has been hand-picked from nationwide auditions to front a new girl band tipped for pop stardom.

Amanda Bennett (22) was chosen to be one of The Seraphims following voice and stage tryouts involving more than 500 hopefuls from all over the country.

Farmer’s daughter Amanda, from Shaw, joins two other Lancashire lasses in the final trio — Sam Hilton (24) and Roxie Lowe (22), both from Chorley.

The Seraphims — whose name means the highest order of angels — have already recorded their debut single, “Blackpool Honeymoon”, officially launched at a Pleasure Beach photo shoot.

Amanda started off playing piano at Oldham Theatre Workshop while at school in Failsworth, before becoming a classically-trained opera singer and going on to studying at Mancat College and Salford University.

Last year her own CD — “Hold Your Head Up” — was sold in Asda stores in aid of Children In Need.

“Blackpool Honeymoon”, released later this month, was written to reflect the resort’s feelgood factor — most recently capped by the amazing feat of the town’s football club winning promotion to the Premier League.

The girls are backed by a team of writers, a manager from New York now based in Lancashire, sound engineers and producers.

And music industry experts who have heard the debut single predict the girls are on their way to success.

Amanda said: “This for me is a dream. I’ve been singing ever since I can remember, but always on my own. I went for an audition after a record company advertised for promising singers in Jobcentres all over the country.

“I was called back for more auditions, and the management company was initially looking for three separate solo singers.

“Then they called the three of us together, we had never met before, and said they wanted to try us out as a three-piece group.

“Since then it’s been mad. We’ve recorded the single, which is dead bouncy and summery, had a photo-shoot in Blackpool and had rehearsals for our first live shows.

“It’s been brilliant — and I’ve already said I want to bring the girls to Oldham for a gig and show them what a top town we are!”

The band’s second single, “Not Another Monday” is already in the pipeline, and The Seraphims will be performing a three-song set on Saturday at Accrington Town Hall.