Katherine Hughes

Live performance at "Ears and Gears" Studio - Katherine Hughes Youtube

Katherine Hughes performing at Ears and Gears Recording Studio - Ears and Gears Recording Studio

Katherine Hughes Performing "Soul" on the Disney Channel - Radio Disney Youtube

Katherine Hughes Performing "Soul" live at the Radio Disney Kick Off Concert at Hollywood & Highland - Radio Disney Youtube

Singing Little Like Love in Los Angeles for the Disney Channel - Radio Disney Youtube

Pictures from the Hollywood & Highland Kick Off Concert - Just Jared Jr.

The young artist who wins this season will perform on the Disney Channel series Austin & Ally in addition to having a single released by Disney Music Group and serving as the opening act for Radio Disney recording artists at the N.B.T. finale concert this year in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Radio Disney will introduce its season five N.B.T. artists at an inaugural three-night showcase at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort from Friday-Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
The showcase, hosted by Radio Disney on-air personality and N.B.T. host Jake Whetter, will feature all of the season five artists along with season four N.B.T. winner Shealeigh and runner-up Zack Montana.
Meanwhile, a concert tour featuring season five N.B.T. artists, N.B.T. alumni and popular Radio Disney singers will kick off July 1 at Chicago's Taste of Joliet; Invisalign has returned as the title sponsor.
Austin & Ally stars Ross Lynch and Laura Marano are expected to make guest appearances throughout the tour, which will stop in more than 15 cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Sacramento and Seattle.
The artists for season five, which kicks off in the fall, are:
-- Chloe and Halle Bailey, 13- and 12-year-old (respectively) sister R&B singers and actresses from Atlanta
-- Damian Otchere, 16-year-old pop and R&B singer, dancer and actor originally from Brooklyn and now residing in East Orange, N.J.
-- Elle Winter, 13-year-old pop singer, songwriter and actress from New York
-- Jack Skuller, 16-year-old rockabilly singer and songwriter from Hoboken, N.J.
-- Katherine Hughes, 17-year-old acoustic pop singer and actress from New York - THR

The latest music-filled Disney Original Movie, Let It Shine — sort of a modern-day retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac with singing — premiered last Friday on the cable network to a very healthy 5.7 million viewers, and its soundtrack peaked at No. 1 on the iTunes soundtrack chart and No. 9 on the overall soundtrack chart. But a fact you may not realize about the movie is that its star, Coco Jones, was discovered via a talent competition — N.B.T. or Next Big Thing — that’s hosted by the cable channel’s sister music arm, Radio Disney, once each year. The fifth season of the competition is prepping to launch, and EW has an exclusive preview of the five acts that will be competing through this cycle.
Before we give you a little background on this season’s five competing musical acts — you can find a bit of info about them and a video performance from each below — let’s take a minute to learn a bit about the N.B.T. competition. Besides the aforementioned Jones, N.B.T. has launched the careers of recording artists Kicking Daisies, Shealeigh, and Allstar Weekend. It’s a multi-platform competition that puts the spotlight on aspiring young recording artists and showcases their music across national broadcast and online platforms. Over the course of 10 weeks, Radio Disney and Disney Channel audiences are invited to look, listen, and vote for their favorite artists.

This season, the winner will perform on the hit Disney Channel series Austin & Ally (Ross Lynch as Austin Moon from that series is pictured here), have a single released by Disney Music Group, and be the opening act for popular Radio Disney recording artists at the N.B.T. finale concert this year in Los Angeles. Radio Disney and Disney Channel audiences will determine the winner when they are invited to look listen, and vote for their favorite artist. Of course, you’ll get a preview of the competitors below, but they’ll also be introduced during a first-ever, three-night showcase at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort this Friday through Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. Season 4 N.B.T. winner Shealeigh and runner-up Zack Montana will also perform during the show, which will be hosted by Radio Disney on-air personality and N.B.T. host Jake Whetter. After that, the five competitors will leave for N.B.T. On Tour Powered by Invisalign Teen that launches July 1 at Chicago’s Taste of Joliet, before hitting 15 cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Sacramento, and Seattle. - Entertainment Weekly

Radio Disney’s Next BIG Thing talent contest has given us some of our favorite musical artists (Shealeigh, Coco Jones, Allstar Weekend, and Hollywood Ending to name a few!), so imagine our excitement when we found out the competition is returning for a fifth season! This year, the stakes are even higher for the contestants. Not only will the winner be the opening act at the N.B.T. finale concert in Los Angeles, but they will also get one of their songs released AND they’ll perform on Disney’s hit show Austin & Ally! Sounds like a dream come true? Definitely. Radio Disney has already chosen the five lucky artists that will compete for fans’ votes, and you can meet all of them below! - Bop and Tiger Beat

Katherine Hughes and sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey chat with AccessHollywood.com's Laura Saltman about auditioning for Radio Disney's "N.B.T." So, how did they start singing? This season's winner will perform on the hit Disney Channel series "Austin &... more - Access Hollywood

FNO visit from Katherine Hughes from Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing and Samantha Logan from ABC’s 666 Park Avenue - Teen Vogue Tumblr

Disney Channel and Radio Disney are looking for the next big youth pop sensation. The sister cable and radio networks will launch the fifth season of their music talent competition, N.B.T. (Next Big Thing) next month during the original TV-movie Girl vs. Monster (airing Friday, Oct. 12 at 8/7c).

Among the prizes for this year's winner: A performance on the Disney Channel sitcom Austin & Ally; a single release through Disney Music Group; and a slot along side Radio Disney recording artists at the N.B.T. finale concert.

Exclusive: Disney Channel Sets Premiere Date For Next Original Movie, Girl vs. Monster

All of the contestants are between the ages of 12 and 17. Among the contenders are R&B artists Chloe and Halle Bailey; acoustic singer Katherine Hughes; R&B singer/dancer Damian Otchere; modern rocker Jack Skuller; and pop singer Elle Winter. Each artist's first singles will debut September 17 on Radio Disney, and become available for sale on iTunes on September 25.

Besides performing their own singles throughout the season, N.B.T. artists will also cover popular hits and work with mentors such as pop star Cher Lloyd ("Want U Back") and Austin & Ally stars Ross Lynch and Laura Marano.

Season 5 voting starts on Friday, Oct. 26; fans will be able to vote 10 times per day per platform (including Facebook, texting and website). Here's a preview this season: - TV Guide