HER singing abilities have turned the heads of two of The Voice’s superstar coaches - now Flackwell Heath’s Nomakhosi is dreaming big and hopes to emulate her hero.

Will.I.Am stole the 22-year-old from Kylie Minogue’s team during last Saturday’s battle round on the BBC One singing competition, putting her just one step away from the live shows.

It marks a crazy few weeks for Nomakhosi, who was busy re-fitting the new JD Sports store in the Eden shopping centre in between perfecting her soul-infused jazz sound and, of course, that distinctive skatting.

She said: "It has been amazing. The blind audition was really scary, because when you walk on that stage it is completely silent and you really don’t know what to expect, so there’s a pressure to perform.

"But as soon as the music started I flipped into performance mode and had fun. I was scared that no-one was going to press half way through, I was thinking to myself ‘I should just be thankful for getting this far and put my all in to the last couple of notes and see what happened’, but I was so happy when Kylie turned around.

"And then being grabbed my Will last week was crazy - the battle was great and I understand Kylie had a tough choice, so I was prepared to go home or to go through but I was not prepared for a steal, when he pressed the button I was in a different world."

Nomakhosi was born in Johannesburg in South Africa before she moved to the UK and south Bucks with her mother at the tender age of nine. She went to Sir William Ramsay School - the same as X-Factor winner Leigh-Anne Pinnock - and honed her skills singing at the Direct Touch Ministries Community Church based at the Holiday Inn at Handy Cross.

And Nomakhosi has pedigree in singing contests, after she won Wycombe’s Got Talent back in 2010.

She said: "I’m quite well known in the area, everyone has been really supportive. I had lots of people come into JD Sports after the blind auditions aired, saying 'you were amazing', it’s made me determined."

The happy-go-lucky star hopes that regardless of whether she wins the show or not, she will soon be swapping selling soles for making soul sounds and emulating her Voice coaches and her role model, Beyonce.

"I want to be in a position like Kyle and Beyonce, they’ve done so much and come so far, I want to have a career like theirs. I don’t want to be like them, as I’m different, just as successful as them in my own field.

"I want to be involved in the music industry, I want to get an album out and do my music - I want to perform in as many countries as possible spreading the message and having fun. I’m up for the challenge."

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