Seventeen-year-old folk singer Lucy Bell began playing music at home in Downpatrick, County Down when she was about 13 or 14. Knowing her eldest brother had a new guitar, she would “sneak into his room and play it”, until eventually he caught her. Rather than getting angry as she anticipated, he taught her some chords. Nowadays, it’s Lucy who teaches him, and luckily, she has “quite the collection of guitars he can borrow from”.

2017 was a busy year for the folk-pop singer, with her itinerary including stop-offs at the Sunflower festival and Belfast Culture night. However her biggest highlight was winning the Panarts Young Songwriter of the Year award.

The success came as a huge surprise to her, with Bell fearing she’d “mucked up the bridge” during her performance. Indeed, so stunned was Lucy when her name was called, she tripped on a wire while collecting the prize. Nonetheless, she was presented with a guitar and an opportunity to headline Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Café this March. It’s a gig she’s incredibly excited about, and the singer jokes about how she must “binge-watch Nashville before going”.

Meantime, Bell impressively balances her songwriting, gigs and rehearsals with her schoolwork, as she prepares to sit her A levels this May. Given her achievements to date, the sky is most definitely the limit for this hugely gifted young performer.

Lucy Bell’s latest single is now available for pre-order on Amazon, with her debut EP set to follow shortly.