Thirteen-year-old Freya Skye will represent the UK at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest as the country competes for the first time since 2005.
The Buckinghamshire schoolgirl will perform the song Lose My Head at the event in Yerevan, Armenia, in December.
Freya began singing aged five after being given a karaoke machine as a present and released her debut single during lockdown, before her track I Love The Way was featured on BBC Introducing.
A fan of Tottenham Hotspur and spending time with her dog Ruby, Freya discovered she had been chosen to represent the UK after her parents took her to London for a supposed audition.
There she was surprised by West End performer Lucie Jones, who represented the UK at the main Eurovision in 2017 and finished 15th.
Freya Skye will sing her uptempo smash Lose My Head for the United Kingdom in Yerevan 🇬🇧https://t.co/OQyYmraaNX
— Junior Eurovision (@EurovisionJr) November 3, 2022
Lose My Head is described as a “powerful and energetic song” written by Jack Hawitt, Amber Van Day and Deepend about “friendships, moving on and leaving the past behind”.
Freya said: “I couldn’t believe it when I found out. I was not expecting it at all, it still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to be representing the UK.
“I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to be a part of something so exciting. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity so I’m going to go and give it my everything and I hope to do the UK proud.”
She was selected by CBBC and BBC Studios Entertainment and Music.
The announcement follows the news that Liverpool will stage next year’s Eurovision Song Contest as the United Kingdom hosts on behalf of Ukraine.
The UK first competed at the junior competition during its inaugural edition in 2003 in Copenhagen, Denmark, but withdrew following the 2005 event.