Hollie Steel

Hollie Steel and mum Nina today appeared on STV on “The Hour” show, presented by Stephen Jardine and Michelle McManus.

Here is a direct link to the segment that contains Hollie: click here. Hollie’s segment is in part 4. The interview is available on the STV player for the next 30 days to UK viewers only for copyright reasons. However, Pamela from STV has contacted me to let me know that STV have also made stand alone videos of Hollie’s chat and performance and there will be articles accompanying these videos. I will add a link to the videos and articles once it is available.

Michelle McManus at the start of the interview referred to Hollie as the “little girl with a big voice”. She pointed out that this year’s BGT auditions are starting this Saturday, and Hollie replied that the past year had gone by really quickly for her.

Of course, Hollie was asked about the semi-final where she forgot the words to Edelweiss, and Nina talked about how she ran down to “rescue” Hollie. Nina was asked if she thought that the age limit should be raised to 18 for contestants, and Nina pointed out, quite rightly, that children wouldn’t perform if they didn’t love it. She emphasised that Hollie got upset because she went wrong, not because she didn’t want to sing. Hollie loves singing!

Hollie was asked about how she was treated on the BGT show, and she confirmed that she was well looked after. She had a lady with her who played games and looked after her. Nina said that the competition had been a stepping stone in Hollie’s career, as she aspired to be like Kathryn Jenkins.

Hollie was then asked about the BGT tour – where she had to have a tutor – and whilst she found it fun, she did miss out on the annual holiday that her school go on. When asked about her forthcoming album, Hollie said that making it had been “really fun and really exciting” and that yes, she chose all the songs and made a song with her dad, Jason.

As a finale and finishing off The Hour, Hollie gave an amazing rendition of Nessun Dorma. When asked why she wanted to sing Nessun Dorma, Hollie replied that it’s a powerful song and she really likes it.

Organisers of a village show in Doncaster have raised money by auctioning an autographed tour programme for Britain’s Got Talent. The sale of the programme raised almost £125, according to the South Yorkshire star, and attracted bids from Canada and the US aswell as the UK.

The programme was signed by Hollie Steel, Susan Boyle, Diversity, Aiden Davis, Flawless, Shaheen Jafargholi, Julian Smith, Shaun Smith, Stavros Flatley and 2Grand, who are from Doncaster, as well as TV host Stephen Mulhern and 2008 winner George Sampson.

The proceeds of the sale will be used to fund the next Auckley Village Show.

Here is a video of Hollie Steel and Nina being interviewed by Stephen Mulhern after her amazing come back in the semi finals of Britain’s Got Talent. Nevin has very kindly uploaded this video onto YouTube so that we can all watch it. Thanks Nevin x

Update: Nevin has uploaded the complete interview to YouTube, which includes interviews with Hollie’s dad Jason and Hollie’s Grandma. You can view it here:

Hollie gave a great performance of Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again from Phantom Of The Opera and displayed none of the nerves that had reduced her to tears the night before.

I’m sure that she has a great future in front of her.

Hollie Steel is through to the final of Britain’s Got Talent after a nail biting performance. She attempted to sing the song “Edelweiss” from the Sound of Music. Half way through singing she burst into tears because she was so nervous. Her mum, Ant & Dec and Amanda Holden comforted her. Hollie begged for another chance to sing: “Can I start again?” she begged.

Ant (or is it Dec?) said that there wasn’t enough time for Holly to sing the song again, at which point she started to sob uncontrollably. “Please, please” she implored.

At this point Simon stepped in: “I don’t know how we’ll find it, but we will find the time (for you to perform again)” he stated. The audience cheered their approval.

Hollie’s second attempt was a feat of braveness. She came onto the stage and sang Edelweiss beautifully, finishing with an amazing top note. Her courage was rewarded by a standing ovation from both the judges and the audience.

Simon told Hollie: “You are officially now the bravest girl in the world.

“Not only did you sing it well, but you performed it and you nailed the last note. Well done Hollie!”

Piers Morgan told Hollie that she was “gutsy” and should be “very proud of herself”. Amanda Holden told Hollie: “I knew you could do it, you’re such a little professional”.

After the public vote was counted, Aiden Davis, the talented street dancer, won the semi-final with the highest number of votes to get a guaranteed place in the final. Hollie Steel and Greg Pritchard received the next highest votes, so the judges had to choose between Hollie and Greg. Piers chose Hollie because her bravery “moved him to tears”. Amanda chose Hollie because she gave “the better performance vocally”. Although Simon’s vote wasn’t needed, he confirmed that he too would have voted for Hollie.

You can view Hollie’s first and second semi-final performances below:

Hollie Steel’s Britain’s Got Talent semi-final will take place on Friday 29th May. Other contestants who will also be appearing in this semi final include young dancer Aidan Davis and male soprano Greg Pritchard.

According to the Burnley Citizen, Hollie’s mum, Nina, is optimistic that Hollie will make it through to the final of the competition.

“We have just got to hope she gets through and does well. She desperately wants to get into the final.

“The song she is going to sing is so beautiful it will melt people’s hearts. We just can’t say what it is at the moment.

“Hopefully the people of East Lancashire will get behind their little star.”

Other contestants who have already secured places in this Saturday’s final include singers Susan Boyle, Shaun Smith and Shaheen Jafargholi, dance troupes Diversity and Flawless, comedy dance act Stavros Flatley, saxophonist Julian Smith and singing grandfather / granddaughter duo Two Grand.

Hollie Steel, pictured before and after her place in the Britain’s Got Talent semi final was confirmed.

May 22nd, 2009

Hollie Steel’s mum is urging the people who live in East Lancashire  to support her daughter in the Britain’s Got Talent competition. This Saturday (22nd May), Hollie we will find out whether Hollie is through to the semi-finals of the competition.

Of course she is – a dead cert in my view.

Hollie has appeared on TV in the US and appeared in newspapers, and of course, this fan site.

In an interview with the Lancashire Telegraph,  mum Nina explained: “If she does get through, I want the whole of East Lancashire to get behind Hollie.

“She’s having a great time and everyone has seen how talented she is. I’m so proud if her.

“But even if she doesn’t make it into the semi-finals, it has been a fantastic experience, particularly meeting Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan.”

29th April

Hollie Steel, who wowed judges in Britains Got Talent last Saturday, is hoping  to land a record deal as well as appear on the West End stage, according to an article in the Lancashire Telegraph.

Speaking at her home  the 10-year-old star from Britain’s Got Talent  said that she thought her singing and dancing were “rubbish”, despite the glowing praise from the judges.

The youngster, who was also being interviewed by an American film crew whilst speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, now has a lot on her hands, but still manages to attend school, practice her singing for half an hour a night and attend dance school three times per week.

“When I was on Britain’s Got Talent I thought the singing and dancing was a bit rubbish.

“I thought I could do better. I thought they would have stopped me before.

“But when they didn’t I was really, really excited. When I’m on stage it’s exciting and scary the best bit is when everybody is cheering,”she said.

Hollie’s heroes in the performing arts world include X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke, Katherine Jenkins and Kerry Ellis, who plays the  character Elphaba in Hollie’s favourite musical Wicked.

She said: “Katherine has a beautiful voice, Alexandra is brilliant and Kerry is in my favourite musical. It has been amazing I would love to have a record deal and be Elphaba from Wicked. I would love to be a pop star and be on the stage.

“When I got through to Britain’s Got Talent, I don’t know how I kept it quiet but I’m really, really chuffed and I really, really want to win.

“I have wanted to do this since I was five. I watched my brother Josh do dancing and singing as I was growing up and I wanted to do it too.”

Hollie impressed the judges with her singing of I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady.

Hollie Steel has branded Simon Cowell “a bully” in an interview with the Daily Mirror Newspaper.

Hollie was upset about Simon Cowell’s negative comments about choice of attire and song, and she said: “Simon is a bully. He was very mean to me. He might have thought it was funny but it’s lonely up there on that stage on your own. I’m only 10 and when he said those things about my tutu I felt like I wanted to cry.

“I had tears in my eyes but I didn’t want to him to see me cry like the bullies at school so I thought of things that made me happy. I thought of being in the final of Britain’s Got Talent and winning it.”

The other judges, Amanda Holden, Piers Morgan and Kelly Brook, had only nice things to say about Hollie. Amanda said it was like “looking in a mirror” (Amanda Holden performed when she was a child). Piers Morgan went as far as to say that Hollie was the best child performed he had seen in three years of filming “Britain’s Got Talent”.

However, Simon was on his usual form when he said: “Hollie, Hollie, Hollie… let me tell you what I think. I didn’t like what you were wearing. You came across as a typical little girl who wants to be a ballerina, and I wasn’t crazy about the song.”

Hollie was perhaps a little sensitive to Simon’s remarks because she has suffered with bullying at school. She said: “Simon’s comments really hurt because I have been bullied for a long time. I get picked on for my singing and because I’m small. One boy said I sounded like a cat being killed and girls tell me I’m no good and that I’m out of tune.

“They have pushed and shoved me in the past but it’s the words that hurt most. My eyes water but I don’t want to cry so I go to the toilets where no one can see me.

“But the bullies just make me more determined to do well.”

It is a sad fact of life that children, who are special for any reason, or who have a talent, or who are just different to the norm, often get picked on a school. Usually, it is jealousy that motivates such spiteful comments and actions. Hollie just needs to stay strong and do the best she can with her amazing talent,  because being happy and leading a great life is the best thing that she can do.

“But the bullies just make me more determined to do well.”