A singer from Brixton has won a competition to perform at a new jazz festival alongside Bryan Ferry and Jools Holland — a year after she nearly quit the music business.
Anoushka Lucas, 25, took on unsigned performers from across Europe for the chance to open the Love Supreme Jazz Festival on the South Downs next month.
She was born in Fulham to Chris, a drummer from Southampton who played with Ian Dury, and Any, a French-Cameroonian singer who now teaches. Lucas took up the piano at seven and after studying languages at Oxford University said “it was pretty obvious music was what I was going to do”.
At times that meant juggling four jobs, including waitressing. She said: “I was crying a lot and thought this was too hard.” But family and friends rallied round and the year turned out well. Competition judge Neil Cowley said she had “a natural and rich talent”.
The Love Supreme Jazz Festival is at Glynde Place from July 5 to 7.
