A Bedford musician is hoping to win a £20,000 recording studio contract after beating thousands of entrants in the auditions of a national competition.

Singer-songwriter TariQ Shaheen, aged 22 – who in the past reached the boot-camp stage of ITV1's X-Factor – this month made it to the regional finals of the Live and Unsigned competition where he will take on 15 other hopefuls at the Fairfield Hall in Croydon.

The former Mark Rutherford student, who sings and plays guitar, said: "It's great because purely and simply you get to do your own music and your own songs. At the end of the day I am a singer-songwriter and the fact that the competition is wanting people to do their own stuff allows me to shine.

"They are looking for talent that's different from X-Factor."
TariQ, who is influenced by artists including Guns 'n' Roses and Michael Jackson, says his music appeals to most people's tastes.

Originally from Blackpool, he took up the guitar when he moved to Bedford aged 13, although he had been playing the piano and writing songs from a young age.

After leaving school he attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in London and has since carried on writing and performing as well as travelling and working as a charity fundraiser.

"Basically I want to be a successful recording artist," said TariQ. "I want to be playing on stage at stadiums – that's my dream. The music I play is quite diverse and has a wide appeal."

TariQ will take part in the regional stage of the competition on Tuesday, February 26, again held at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, south London. Doors open at 8.30pm and tickets, priced £6, are available at the door of the venue or directly from TariQ by emailing eagle.ink_831@yahoo.com.

The competition is due to be aired on ITV1.

For more information visit www.liveandunsigned.uk.com.