WOULD-BE pop star Rachel Allder is one step closer to performing at the O2 arena after making it through to the area finals of the national competition TeenStar.

The 13-year-old pupil, of St John’s School, Marlborough, impressed judges at her first audition with an acoustic version of Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer and she wowed the crowd once again at the regional finals, this time with her take on David Guetta’s dance anthem Titanium.

Rachel, of Savernake Road, Burbage, was supported by family friend, guitarist Austin Shepherd, with whom she had the chance to rehearse a couple of times before the live performance.

She said: “It was amazing, nothing like this has ever happened to me.

“I love performing live and this was the best performance I could have wished for.”

And she was not short of fans to cheer her on, with a coach-load of family and friends travelling to Fareham in Hampshire to see her perform.

She said: “It was so noisy when I was singing because they were all cheering so loud.

“There was a spotlight going around so I kept getting glimpses of them while I was on stage.”

Rachel will now go up against other hopefuls at the Guild Hall Theatre in Portsmouth on Saturday, May 18, to bag herself a place in the grand final.

She said: “I haven’t chosen a song yet. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol is sticking out at me but I don’t want to do anything too predictable.”

TeenStar is run by Future Music, which also hosts Open Mic UK and has discovered chart-topping acts including Birdy and Hatty Keane.