A SOULFUL singer finished third in a national talent competition.

Isabelle Burrows-Brown from Brighton once again blew judges away at the TeenStar national final held at the NEC in Birmingham with her cover of Hate on Me by Jill Scott.

Performing as Issy BB and The Rebels, she was awarded third place in the Pre-Teen age category, beating 9,000 hopefuls.

She made a big impression on judges with her version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s hit Proud Mary – which was recorded by Tina Turner in 1971 – in the area finals.

Performing in May, judges at the Ferneham Halls in Southampton tipped Isabelle (pictured, with other finalists) for a big future in the music industry.

The judging panel, made up of musical experts including Radio One’s Annie Nightingale and Atomic Kitten’s Liz McLarnon, said: “What a great song choice, it really suited your vocal range to make it a very enjoyable performance.

“This girl in two or three years could be very special, super control for the large part, great projection and tone.

“More performances will help to express the song emotionally which you still need to learn but a little rough diamond has been unearthed here.”

As well as playing the NEC Arena Issy has been offered a role in the BBC’s TV show The Dumping Ground, in which she will act opposite her father.

Proud dad Ray Brown, said: “Her singing voice is distinctive as it is full of soul and very mature for her young age. This has been commented on by several judges at each stage of the TeenStar competition and she has also been asked to sing at the Southampton Maritime Festival in August of this year. All this she has done without going to a stage school, having a showreel, demo tape or having an agent, which makes it all the more impressive.”

To view Issy BB’s Southampton performance visit www.youtube .com/watch?v=NdG9UFtIKw0.