A musician who played on the soundtrack for the new Little Mermaid film treated movie lovers to a live performance at the show’s premiere.

Rachel Rankin-Hayward was dressed in underwater themed garments as she performed in the foyer of Brighton Marina’s Cineworld ahead of the screening.

Fans young and old were shocked to learn that the music they would hear on the film was played by Rachel, who they met on their way in.

And the magic was not lost on Rachel either, who was thrilled to hear her steel pan skills through the cinema’s big screen speakers during the screening on May 26.

“It was terrifying but a lot of fun,” she said of recording the main track, Under the Sea, alongside close friend and fellow steel pan player Mark Cherrie.

She recorded a session in the studio of Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits and another in Air studios, which was founded by Beatles producer George Martin, saying "it was a really great experience".

She said: “It was mind-blowing to see and hear it on the big screen having played on it with my friend Mark, who is one of the greatest people I know.

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“And to play it for people coming to see the film at the Marina was really good fun, too.”

Rachel, 53, from Preston Park, was asked to play on The Little Mermaid’s Under the Sea and recorded Kiss the Girl, as well as new original pieces for the film by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken.

She has enjoyed success in the music world since winning the UK Soloist Championships in 1989.