A BUDDING singer is following her dreams by releasing her debut single after meeting a star at a concert.

Sophie McLaughlan, from Haddington, has performed cover versions of popular songs at venues throughout East Lothian since she was a teenager.

Today (Friday), she is releasing Breathing under the name SophieAnnabell.

She said: “For over 10 years, I have been suffering with really bad anxiety.

“It got quite bad during Covid with everything going on.

“I have always wanted to put that into a song but never quite managed to find the right words to use for it.

“I had writer’s block for a while but recently I went to a concert in Belfast to see Raye.

“I met her afterwards and I got so starstruck and started rambling.

“She has quite an interesting story behind her music and she had to fight to get out of a record label.

“I told her to never give up on your dreams and keep being who you are and she said the exact same to me.

“The next week, I was trying to get to sleep and these words just came to my head and I wrote the song.”

East Lothian Courier: Sophie McLaughlan's debut single is released tomorrow (Friday)

Sophie flew out to America last week and plans to record a music video in either Florida or Nashville.

The 25-year-old, who has tried out for a range of talent shows, including Britain’s Got Talent, The X Factor and The Voice, as well as Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar in Germany, was determined to keep chasing her dream as a singer.

Last year, she performed at Haddstock in Haddington, and said: “Going back to the Covid situation where we were all so stuck and not able to do much at all, I just thought once things were loosened up and you could do things, I thought why not just do whatever I want to do and face my fears.

“I went on holiday and there was a zip line. I have a fear of heights and I thought, if I am not going to do it now, I never will.

“Since Covid, I have had the attitude I am going to go for it. At least I will have tried.

“You only live once and life is so short. You don’t know what is going to happen so just do it; that’s what I live by.”

Sophie, who works in anti-money laundering with NatWest, told the Courier she had been inspired by singers including Amy Winehouse, Kylie Minogue and Miley Cyrus.

However, despite enjoying performing her version of other people’s music, she wanted to write her own material.

Breathing, which can be found by searching for SophieAnnabell on Facebook, is the first song for which she put pen to paper.

She added: “I want to write songs and music that helps other people get through things.

“Myself, as a person, I love to help other people.

“I feel a good way to do that would be through music, because you can reach people from all over the world.

“This is the first song that is fully my own and I feel it has a message people can relate to.

“I want to continue to write songs along those lines.”