A teenage singer who reached the finals of a national talent contest is hoping to go one better after branching out on her own.

Jeniequa Quamina, of Hanwell, narrowly missed out on winning the TeenStar music contest as part of the double act We Are One.

Having gone solo, she has now reached the regional finals of Open Mic UK and is hoping to go all the way.

The 18-year-old, who is studying music performance at West Thames College, in Isleworth, is one of more than 9,000 hopefuls from across the country to enter Open Mic UK.

Having impressed judges in the auditions with her rendition of Sam Smith's Make It To Me, she plans to unleash one of her original compositions when she appears in the regional finals at Beck Theatre in Hayes on October 18.

"I'm proud just to get to the regionals but having got to the finals of TeenStar I'm hoping to go one better this time," she said.

Miss Quamina, who attended Barbara Speake Stage School in Acton, described her style as contemporary indie pop and says her influences include Jill Scott, Etta Jones and Adele.

"Like these artists, I want to be known as a household name for my singing, but eventually venture into film and TV, and hopefully to become a program director," she added.

* To check some of her work, visit her Sound Cloud page here.

* You can learn more about studying music and performing arts, along with other courses, at West Thames College's open evening next Thursday (October 16).