Ritz
London, England, United Kingdom
Music
Press
A young Hoxton rapper has made it through to the live finals of a national music competition.
Liam O'Brien aka 'Ritz' has sailed through the auditions stage to appear in the regional finals of Live and Unsigned in Middlesex in March.
The teenager from Haberdasher Street has attracted national praise for his positive message and anti-violence lyrics, including a nomination for the Spirit of London Awards in November.
He will now take on adult original artists, bands and vocal groups in the hope of progressing to the London area heats and then the National Showcase Grand Final at the O2.
He will have to perform an original track with a band or backing track in front of a huge live crowd at Becks theatre in Hayes, Middlesex on 28 March.
Over 30,000 acts have auditioned for the competition over the last three years. - Hackney Gazette
A young Hoxton rapper will be performing for a place in the grand finals of a national music competition at the O2 Arena.
Liam O'Brien aka 'Ritz' has made it through regional stages to the London area finals of Live and Unsigned, a nationwide cross-genre competition for original singers and artists.
He also picked up the competition's Extreme Exposure award for generating publicity.
The 15-year-old of Haberdasher Street, who uses upbeat lyrics to speak out against gun and knife crime, will now take his talent to Becks Theatre in Hayes, Middlesex, on May 2 where one of the judges will be BBC Radio 1's Ras Kwame.
He will be hoping to bag a place at the grand finals at the O2 Arena in Greenwich in July, and go on to win a recording and management contract along with financial backing to release a single and develop a clothing brand.
He said: "It was one of my best performances yet, I like the big stage.
"I'm really excited because I think my performance stood out, and I think the next stage will go really well."
Liam's mum, Jackie said: "I'm still in shock. I just can't believe it.
- Hackney Gazette
A SCHOOLBOY rapper has stormed through the latest round of a nationwide talent search.
Ritz, who has been taking the Camden Town music scene by storm with his regular gigs at Bar Uno, in Inverness Street, and Camden Rock, in Kentish Town Road, was one of eight acts to get a "yes" from the judges at the regional finals of Live and Unsigned.
The 15-year-old pupil of St Aloysius' College, in Hornsey Lane, Archway, is now just one step away from the National Grand Final at the O2 Centre in July.
The overall winner will scoop a recording and management contract with up to £30, 000 to release their single, and the opportunity to develop their own clothing brand like rap superstars Jay-Z and P-Diddy.
Ritz, whose real name is Liam Sampson, performed Tinchy Stryder's Take Me Back and his own song Hands Up. He said: "I loved the experience of performing on the big stage.
"We got the audience putting their hands up and when I saw the judges doing it as well it made me even more confident."
He added: "The judges said they liked me because I was young, different and made an effort with my clothing and performance, and when they called out my name I was overwhelmed."
Ritz is preparing for an under 18 event at Camden Rock on April 15, when he will celebrate his 16th birthday by performing at a gig in association with the Damilola Taylor Trust.
He will then return his thoughts to Live and Unsigned, and he will be back at the Beck Theatre in Hayes on May 2 for the area finals.
Chris Grayston, Live and Unsigned's events director, said: "We're all about originality, live ability and credibility. This really is going to be the biggest year for the competition yet. - Camden Gazette
Too often, young Londoners make headlines for the wrong reasons.
For many, it seems that life revolves around gang culture or knife crime. But a new event aims to celebrate the city's teenagers and their achievements.
The 'Spirt of London' awards have been created by the Damilola Taylor Trust and are backed by the likes of Rio Ferdinand and the singer Lemar. In many cases, the nominees have turned their lives around, so much so they've become role models for others.
The awards take place next month and Lewis Vaughan Jones has been to meet one of the contenders. - ITV London Tonight
Discography
On The Way To The Top Volume 1 - 2009 September
On The Way To The Top Volume 2 2009 December
Hard Work Pays Off Ft Bandeno - 2010 March
Ritz In The Building (Album
Photos
Bio
Ritz Is A Young Mc/Artist Who Has Been Doing Music Since 2008 He Is Straight Out Of North London And Has Been Doing Big Things . He Has Been Up For An Award Called " Spirit Of London Award 2009" Which He Did Not Win But Was Still An Acheivement He Is Also Opening This Years Event. He Has 3 CDs Called 'On The Way To The Top Volume 1 And 2' And 'Hard Work Pays Off and ' Which Has Got A Massive Amount Of Love From Everybody Around The Uk . He Has Got Another Two Cds On The Way This Year. You Can Check That Out His Youtube Channel 'ritzmusictv'. He Has Also Appeared On ITV LONDON TONIGHT : http://www.itv.com/london/spirtoflondon05892/. He Talks About His Experiences Growing Up On The Streets And Talking About The UK Music Scene.He Was Recently In A Competition Called 'Live And Unsigned' Which He Came 5th in out of all of the UK CHECK his performance out at muzu tv and type ritz in the searcg bar. He Has Built His Fan Base In Such A Short Amount Of Time If You Ask Around North London Everybody Will Know Who Ritz Is.
Thanks Very Much For Taking The Time To Read This
Ritz
He Has Done All This At The Tender Age Of 16
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