ONE Herefordshire singer is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Ellie Goulding as she launches her first EP this summer.

Lucia Nicole, 24, grew up in Kington and went to the same school as Ellie, who left Lyonshall to make her name in the music industry.

Now, Lucia wants to make waves of her own, having first got the music bug as an 8-year-old learning the piano. She started to sing aged 11 and now also plays the guitar.

She said: "I was quite shy and quite reserved when I was growing up so it was a bit of an escape and I sang in my bedroom all the time.

"When I left school I became a little bit more confident and when I was 18 I sang around the pubs and clubs singing covers and at functions. I have always written a diary and written things down and so I thought, why don't I combine it?

"So I started writing some songs. But it's only really the last eight months I have started to do anything with them."

Lucia was approached by a producer who saw her work on YouTube and since then, things have been a bit of a whirlwind.

She describes her sound as 'electronic pop rock' – modern but with some older influences from the likes of Madonna, Roxette and Michael Jackson.

"I'm not seeking fame I just want to be successful in my music – that's all I have ever wanted to do and if I can do something I love that is my ultimate goal," she said. "Anything else would be a bonus."

She has been working hard on making a music video and promoting her music as much as possible and last year collaborated with Hereford-based electronic dance music producer Matt Envy and also made her festival debut at Nozstock.

"Before that I had been trying to get my confidence up around bars and pubs. But I loved it. It was amazing. It was just the whole atmosphere of being up on stage singing original stuff and it was exhilarating," she added.

Lucia has been working on her EP for the last six months with music producer Richard Nolan and her first single Just Stop is due to be released next month. After that, she'll be slowly releasing more songs from her EP.

She also hopes to organise a launch night at The Venue in Hereford.

For more on Lucia's music visit facebook.com/pages/Lucia-Nicole/181938648610613