Marriage musing has Nigel in tune

A Wigan musician has reached the final of a national song-writing contest with a track penned to celebrate his upcoming wedding.
Appley Bridge musician Nigel Yong-ChingAppley Bridge musician Nigel Yong-Ching
Appley Bridge musician Nigel Yong-Ching

Nigel Yong-Ching, from Appley Bridge, saw The Life That You Wanted chosen as one of three tunes which will battle it out in the Song of the Month contest organised by national website One on One Music.

Recorded in the living room of his Woodnook Road home the song celebrates Nigel’s relationship with his partner Jamie Ross, with the couple intending to use it as part of their big day when they tie the knot in December.

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Nigel, who wrote an album’s worth of songs last year while waiting to begin a new job with The Co-operative Bank, says he is delighted such a personal song has struck a chord with so many music fans and hopes the public will vote to give him the overall prize.

Nigel, 39, said: “It’s all a bit of a surprise but a very welcome one. I started writing songs ultimately because I’m getting married and I was inspired by my fiancé.

“I was trying to create music which we could use on the wedding day and we’re definitely hoping to use The Life That You Wanted because it’s a bit of an anthem.

“It talks about our journey together and tells the story of how one person saved the other before celebrating the fact we are now going into the future.

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“It’s obviously quite personal and was written for a very specific reason so it’s very special for both of us to see it getting some attention.”

Nigel, who makes music under the name NYC, released the album Breathless from which The Life That You Wanted last November through online music platforms such as iTunes.

Having created a profile on music website ReverbNation, Nigel was given the opportunity to enter the One on One Music competition and was delighted to then find out his was one of the three songs released over a three-month period chosen to go through to the final.

The winner will be decided by public vote and Nigel, who says he is influenced by singer-songwriters such as Ed Sheeran and James Blunt, is now hoping Wiganers will back his campaign to win the contest.

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Breathless is the first full album Nigel has written and also the first project in music he has completed since being thrust into the creative spotlight as a child.

He said: “When I was 12 I was chosen to go to London to take part in a music final hosted by Mark Goodier from Radio 1, with Sunita as one of the judges.

“That’s the only real brush with success I’ve had and I hadn’t seriously written anything since that time. It’s a real pet project and was partly about ticking releasing an album off my bucket list.”

Nigel says another particularly pleasing aspect of his success is the fact the music was written and recorded in the same house where he lived with his parents as a child, with he and Jamie purchasing the property five years ago.

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He said: “It’s a nice feeling to produce something where some of your happiest memories from your formative years are.”

The Life That You Wanted, by NYC, is in the final of the Song of the Month competition run by One on One Music. The deadline for voting is on March 1.

To vote or find out more, visit www.oneononemusic.co.uk/song-of-the-month

For more information about Nigel’s music, search for NYC on Facebook.

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