Freya, 18, almost gave up on lifelong ambition after talent show judges shattered her confidence
A singer who came close to giving up on her dreams following rejections from TV talent shows has landed the ‘job of a lifetime’.
Freya Busby, 18, has been performing for seven years and went to her first X Factor audition at the age of 12, but says a series of put-downs shattered her confidence.
The former Sidmouth College student missed out on most of her GCSE years at school as, she says, she was bullied and went on to suffer mental health issues - but she clung on to her ambition to become a professional singer.
Close to giving up on her dream, Freya took a full-time role with Haydn Welch Jewellers in High Street, but steeled herself to face a final audition for a job as a professional singer in Spain.
The Manstone Avenue resident found out she was successful just days before her 18th birthday and said: “It’s the best thing that happened to me. I’m really excited - it’s what I have always wanted to do. The company I am going to work for have had people go on to perform in West End shows.
“I do some modelling, but singing is what I really want to do - I want to be paid to do what I love the most.
“I went to The X Factor and The Voice auditions four years in a row and travelled to places as far afield as London and Cardiff to sing. I have never had a lot of money to go to these places, so I have had to really work for my dreams.
“I was 12 when I first auditioned and I have been to so many - it did not help my confidence at all. My mum cried when she found out I got the job in Spain – my family are very supportive.”
The singer said she left school with no GCSE qualifications because she spent so much time in and out of hospital with mental health issues. Now, she wants to give the message to other sufferers not to give up on life as it can get better.
Freya added that her boss Haydn Welch had been hugely supportive of her ambitions and she was set to leave for Spain in April – where she will spend every day getting paid to sing in resorts.
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