There are many ways that the famous have been discovered. Lana Turner got spotted sipping coke in a drug store.
Charlize Theron was noticed by a talent agent as she raged at a bank teller for refusing to cash a cheque. Harrison Ford was recruited by director George Lucas while doing some carpentry work at his home.
Beth Sherburn also knows what it is to be in the right place at the right time after John McLaughlin 鈥 the man behind Sandi Thom and boy band Busted 鈥 heard her singing away to Michael Bubl茅鈥檚 Christmas on the perfume counter at Debenhams in Merry Hill, where he had popped in to buy a present for his wife.
He signed her up and by the new year she already had a hit with a cover version of Duran Duran鈥檚 Ordinary World.
She has spent the summer working away on her debut album and next week releases her first self-penned single, Overload 鈥 a catchy club song that is destined to be a dance floor filler.
鈥淚t has been crazy really,鈥 says Beth, speaking from Lower Gornal, where she lives with her parents Sarah and Graeme when she is not travelling down to London or up to Scotland for professional commitments.
鈥淭he Duran Duran single I released peaked higher than Britney Spears and Will.i.am. They are massive inspirations to me.
鈥淢y single has been mixed by Alias, who have worked with Cheryl Cole, The Saturdays and Atomics. I was lucky enough to go to Alicante to shoot the video. I had a great time. The director has worked with Pitbull and Kelly Rowland.鈥
Though she is working with the same people as her idols and competing for the same chart places, the 22-year-old still seems excited by her sudden fame.
Her Cinderella story made national headlines but Beth, the middle of three sisters, refused to leave her post at the perfume counter until after Christmas.
鈥淚 am that kind of person," she says. "If I say I鈥檓 going to do something or promise somebody I don鈥檛 turn around and go I am not going to. I didn鈥檛 want to leave my work colleagues, I didn鈥檛 want to let anybody down. I said 鈥業 am working up until Christmas, after that I can concentrate on my music鈥.鈥
She has already had the thrill of hearing her singing on the radio 鈥淢y friends have said 鈥業鈥檝e heard your music being played in Ibiza and Australia鈥 and I鈥檝e been like 鈥榃ow!鈥.鈥 However, she admits her new single means a little bit more because it is her own work.
鈥淚t feels even more satisfying. I am just really proud of it. I鈥檝e had amazing feedback from everybody. I think my songs have a dance feel but the lyrics are a bit edgy. They鈥檝e got a bit of attitude.鈥
As with most stories of overnight success, there is usually years of hard work that gets put in before it. Beth is no exception. She has been studying music and writing songs since she was young.
She has already performed at Birmingham Rep with Matthew Kelly and George Costigan in Don Quixote, and in a gospel choir with Katherine Jenkins at The Royal Albert Hall.
Instead of going out to clubs at the weekend she would more often be found singing at weddings or corporate events.
As a teenager, Beth won a national song writing competition judged by the late Robin Gibb.
鈥淗e said 鈥業 love your songwriting, you remind me of when I was writing when I was young鈥.鈥
She has even sung with an undiscovered Liam Payne, back before an appearance by One Direction star would cause a riot.
鈥淚 sang with him in Stourbridge. He was a really nice guy. They鈥檙e doing really well, you can鈥檛 get much higher than them at the moment.
鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for my family paying for my singing lessons and piano lessons and taking me to and fro to competitions I wouldn鈥檛 be here doing what I am today. They have been so supportive. It is what I have always wanted.鈥
For the future she hopes to write with Calvin Harris and maybe collaborate with another of her musical icons, Britney Spears. But maybe the happy ending for this fairy tale would be a duet with Michael Bubl茅.
鈥淭hat would be brilliant,鈥 she laughs. 鈥淚鈥檒l get on to that.鈥
- Overload is available on iTunes from Sunday and is available for pre-order 听听听听听听听听听听听听听
