A British karaoke star has been picked to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest – after being talent-spotted in a shopping centre.
David Bryan’s band Hotel FM won a public vote on New Year’s Eve after the 24-year-old was discovered by manager Florin Budeu.
The welder, who had moved to Romania to be with his girlfriend in the town of Oradea, will perform his song Change, in Germany in May.
Mr Bryan, originally from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, said: “I’m over the Moon. My plan is to start a career in Romania.
“I don’t want to move back to England and start again from the very beginning. This is where everything has happened for me but one day I’d like to take my music to England and see what happens.”
Mr Bryan missed out on the chance to sing in Eurovision last year when his group was banned from the Romanian selection process because he was not a native. But organisers relaxed the rules this year, meaning he can now follow in the footsteps of Europop stars such as Abba and Brotherhood of Man.
Mr Budeu said: “I discovered David by accident, singing at a karaoke contest. His voice was spectacular and seemed to mesmerise the audience.”
He said Hotel FM stood a good chance of avoiding the dreaded ‘nil points’ from judges, adding: “Having a British singer, we may get sympathy from other countries, like Anglo-Saxon countries.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZWT7F69jus
