A WIRRAL teenager is hoping to make her mark on the music industry as she fights to be crowned winner of an international talent competition.

Bronnie Hughes, from Caldy, has been hand-picked by American Idol presenter Ryan Seacrest to take part in the latest round of his Covers Competition, which has seen her battle it out on YouTube for international exposure.

The 17-year-old Hilbre High School student said the E! News and host of the pan-American radio show OnAir with Ryan Seacrest had tasked his team to scour the internet for artists from around the world singing cover songs, eventually selected who they considered to be the best.

The first round of the competition saw Bronnie and 12 other hopefuls put their mark on 5 Seconds of Summer’s hit Amnesia, while the second saw her battle it out with seven other successful contestants.

Now, the teenager is one of five finalists.

Voting takes place online at RyanSeacrest.com and fans can vote every 12 hours.

Bronnie, who takes inspiration from McBusted’s James Bourne and Avril Lavigne, said: “I knew when I was contacted by Ryan’s team that it could be an important step in my singing career, but as the rounds have progressed the amount of promotion and attention has grown way beyond my expectations.

“We received message from Tom Fletcher from McBusted a few days ago describing my cover song as ‘Wicked’ and posting it to the McBusted fans across the world on Twitter; and with local radio, and newspapers like the Wirral Globe behind me we’ve enjoyed incredible support from people across the Wirral.”

It has been quite a year for Bronnie – whose cover has already had over 12,000 views on YouTube – after performing with XFactor Australia’s Andrew Larson, as well as performing a duo with Kaitlin Beecham at the mayor’s Wirral Spotlight on Youth at the Floral Pavilion.

Bronnie has also played the part of Sandy in Grease with two theatre companies and progressing in Ryan Seacrest’s competition would be “an amazing way to cap off an exciting year”, she says.

“Being chosen for the Ryan Seacrest contest has really transformed my YouTube channel and we have had positive comments, messages and tweets from some massive names in the industry,” said Bronnie.

“We even received some very positive feedback from one of the members of One Direction yesterday. Christopher Maloney and Marcus Collins have been so supportive. They are lovely.”

Although the teenager is yet to find out what the prize is for winning the competition, she is reassured that those who have competed before her have gone on to big things.

She said: “If I was to win, the potential benefit to my singing/song writing career would be enormous.

“I’m up against it. I’m the youngest artist in the contest and I’m not only the only British act but the only non American left in the contest.

“Some of the finalists are already big names with albums and singles out but the loyalty and regular voting of Wirral people has got us this far, so we really stand a good chance of a high ranking when results are announced in Los Angeles next Wednesday night.”

Bronnie added: “I’m so grateful to the Wirral Globe for reporting on the contest from the beginning and I know that its support across Wirral has been one of the reasons that I have got to the final.”

To vote for Bronnie, click here.