FROM child star to respected singer-songwriter, hard working Lornnah Stewart is going places.

Beginning her career at the tender age of 12, she recorded a song which was passed on to top UK music manager Tony Hall who loved it.

Despite being tipped for big things, her mum encouraged her to get an education before committing to a career in the music business — which she did.

Born in Sheffield, she grew up in south London but has now settled in Bury, and says although she loves the beautiful northern countryside, she is still surprised when she sees an occasional farm animal in the road.

She laughed: "I really love living in Bury but I'm still getting used to seeing a random cow pop up in the road.

"I live near a farm so I suppose there isn't much getting away from that. It's beautiful really; you don't get that in many places in the country."

After an education at the Brit school in London — which helped launch the careers of Amy Winehouse and Adele — Lornnah was approached by an independent label Zoom Records and went on to collaborate with producers including Andy Ward who has worked with Peter Andre and Eternal.

She said: "I started off doing quite a bit of backing singing when I was younger, and I did quite a bit of recording with top producers, so I guess you could say I was a bit of a child star.

"My dad was more into me being a singer than my mum. She wanted me to get a proper education at school and saw it as more of a hobby that I would probably grow out of. So when things got serious when I was barely a teenager, she said no — so it was put on hold until I finished school."

Influenced by the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyonce and Prince, Lornnah admits that she is drawn to artists who are a "complete package".

"I like all rounders," she said. "People who can write, sing and dance — and also those who take part in what goes on behind the scenes, which is what I like to do."

Lornnah — whose single Soul Mate is out next month — admits it has been a difficult decade for her following the death of her parents who died five years apart.

But the striking singer turned her grief into determination to succeed — and her beloved parents are never far from her mind as she tours the country performing her self-penned contemporary R&B music.

She said: "My dad, Matthew, died in 2004 from bowel cancer and my mum, Eunice, died out of the blue in 2009. It was such a shock and I was so devastated that my hair started falling out.

"A friend suggested that shaved it off, so I went into a random barbers shop and had it all cut off. I ended getting quite a few modelling jobs after that.

"I went back into music and decided to do it seriously with my parents in mind, because let's face it, life is too short."

Lornnah performs at Salford Music Festival on Sunday, at the Salford Arms pub at 9pm. For more information visit salfordmusicfestival.co.uk.