Andrea Begley

Partially blind civil servant Andrea Begley became the most unlikely pop starlet of 2013 when the 26-year-old charmed the nation with a heartfelt rendition of the Evanesence song My Immortal and won the BBC talent show The Voice. Niece of country singer Philomena Begley, the Northern Ireland lass - from Pomeroy, County Tyrone - lost 90% of her sight due to glaucoma at the age of six, but became the first blind law student at Queen's University, Belfast. Inspired by the folk pop of Laura Marling, Cara Dillon and KT Tunstall, she was mentored by The Script's Danny O'Donoghue and beat hot favourite Leah McFall to a record contract with Universal Music despite rival judge will.I.am feigning outrage at the result. Jokingly suggesting she call her debut album Blind As Folk, Begley instead settled on The Message (2013) and it shot to Number 7 in the UK charts, including renditions of Dancing In The Dark, Ho Hey and Take On Me. Later that year she released her autobiography I Didn't See That Coming.

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