When retail giant John Lewis plucks your song out for its latest advertising campaign you can almost guarantee a slice of musical success.
For singer Gabrielle Aplin it saw her version of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Power of Love shoot up the charts to the number one slot and throw her into the musical spotlight.
Ellie Goulding had similar success with her cover of Elton John’s Your Song in 2010.
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And now 19-year-old singer Nina Nesbitt hopes the latest advert featuring her version of Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop will do much to bolster her career.
“The Christmas advert is the big one but I am glad I did the autumn one as it means I can start to put more of my own stuff out there,” the Scottish singer explains.
Nina was one of a number of singers invited to put forward their own versions of famous songs for the insurance advert. As a Fleetwood Mac fan she chose Don’t Stop.
“An email goes around the whole industry inviting people to go for it,” she explains. “I saw it and thought I would go for a more quirky version of the Fleetwood Mac song.’’
The singer songwriter is currently touring the 海角视频, with many dates, including The Institute, Birmingham, on October 21, selling out.
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“Having the song on the advert has definitely widened my audience. I am getting a broad mixture of ages coming along to gigs,” she says.
Before the advert was even screened, Nina was already enjoying a huge rise in her career.
She was just 16 years old when she began performing intimate shows across Edinburgh and Manchester and posted a selection of her own songs and some cover versions on YouTube.
One of the first songs she wrote on guitar, Standing On One Leg, about growing up, broke her in to the music business after a chance meeting with Ed Sheeran at a radio gig in Edinburgh in 2011.
“I was chatting to him and asked for tips on becoming a singer,” she says. “He handed me his guitar and told me to play something. I sang Standing On One Leg, nervously, but I must have done okay because Ed immediately offered me the chance to open his show in Glasgow.”
She ended up supporting Sheeran on tour but, determined to build her own fan base and develop her sound, turned down offers from labels to sign her. She independently released two EPs before eventually signing a record deal with Island and is now putting together a debut album, due out next spring.
It is perhaps her independence which has led her to think carefully about her career. While she thinks shows like X Factor are great to showcase young talent, she adds it can also be controlling.
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“I think the X Factor is a good way for people to get noticed but having someone control what kind of artist you are going to be is not a good thing.”
She says she read Sinead O’Connor’s letter to Miley Cyrus in which she advised ‘Don’t let the music business make a prostitute of you’.
“I thought it was really interesting and nice that she took the time to say that,” Nina replies.
“I think if you can surround yourself with people who love what you do and love who you are and not trying to be someone different, then that is a good thing.”
Nina has visited Birmingham on a number of occasions and is looking forward to her next gig in the city.
“I played The End, which was a really small venue and I really enjoyed it. I also supported Example at the big arena (NIA).
“It is easier to get the vibe from a big crowd. Sometimes smaller crowds will be quite quiet. I don’t really get nervous unless it is a home gig or it is London and people are reviewing it.”
* Nina Nesbitt plays The Temple, The Institute, Birmingham, on October 21.