Sweet success for wedding song

Appley Bridge musician Nigel Yong-Ching, who records under the name NYC, won the Song of the Month contest organised by website One on One Music with The Life That You Wanted, a song celebrating his relationship with fiancé Jamie Ross.

As a prize, his debut album Breathless will be promoted through One on One Music and Nigel, who recorded the tracks in his living room, says he has glad such a personal song has struck a chord with fans.

Nigel, 39, said: “I was really surprised to win but it’s so nice given the circumstances and the reasons I wrote the song.

“I was hoping for the best but I didn’t expect to be able to compete against established acts or anyone who has been recording for some time.”

Nigel said he received the good news about the competition victory while on holiday in Portugal, where he also shot a video for the album’s title track featuring his partner’s sister Charlotte Ross.

Nigel, who combines music with working for The Co-operative Bank, said the increasing awareness of his music is particularly pleasing as writing songs and releasing albums is a long-held ambition.

He said: “It’s great because I’ve always felt the need to do something in music. Even though my career took me in a completely different direction I’m just over the moon to get this recognition for something I’ve created myself, especially such a personal project.”

Influenced by acts such as Ed Sheeran and James Blunt, the album’s 12 tracks chronicle Nigel’s life experiences and journey.

He said: “The opening song is about a theme that runs through the album, the need to let go of anything that pulls you down and just put it behind you and move on.

“There are songs about how I came to be with my partner, about the broken relationships I’ve had in the past and about the people I’ve lost. There’s one song about my grandfather.

“Breathless is about someone who has hit rock bottom and is in despair about their state of life, but is drawn towards something or somebody and move away from their pain.”

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