She is a teenage singer who has only ever left her home county of Cornwall twice.
Daisy Clark is set to be catapulted to international stardom after nearly six million people around the world watched an online video of her singing in her bedroom. The 18-year-old posted a recording of her acoustic version of Olivia Newton-John’s classic song Hopelessly Devoted To You from the musical Grease in September.
Within weeks it was seen by executives from the Warner Bros record label, who offered to release the song professionally.
Clark, from Newquay, who recently finished a college course in music performance, had only ever left her home county to visit neighbouring Devon and go on a family holiday to Greece before the video exploded on a website that offers a platform to unsigned and independent music artists. She said: ‘Mum and I watch Grease together quite a lot, she is really into my music and this song was stuck in my head.
‘I have always watched people singing on YouTube and wanted to be like them ... I never thought I would get so many views. ‘I nearly didn’t post this cover online as I’d received some negative comments recently – but I’m so glad I did. ‘The feedback with people commenting or getting in touch with me has been amazing. It’s crazy.’
Clark, who went to Truro College, taught herself to play guitar and piano and said she is unable to remember a day when she hasn’t sung. At just 13 years old she started writing her own music, inspired by the likes of pop stars Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. Over the past few years she has built a fan base in her home county and online, with videos of her own songs and covers garnering more than 10 million views across social media.
'The past few months have been out of this world. The music scene in Cornwall isn’t huge, but I always hoped that someone would see and love my music. It’s so exciting that someone like me, from a tiny town miles away from London, can release such an iconic song after being spotted online.
'I hope it will inspire other musicians around the country to keep trying, and not let small-town mentality or negativity get them down.’
Sam Gilbert, founder of the website Music Crowns which put out the video, said: ‘The moment we shared Daisy Clark’s Hopelessly Devoted To You track across our channels they exploded, with thousands of music lovers across the globe asking us where they could get their hands on the recording. We’re excited to release this track and are in the process of recording her debut album, which will be released later this year.
‘There’s no female singer-songwriter like Daisy on the British music scene at the moment, so it’s a really exciting time for her.’
Her take on Hopelessly Devoted To You is available on iTunes and Spotify.