A former pupil from the Royal Hospital School will be performing on the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent tomorrow night after getting the Golden Buzzer from Ant and Dec.
Jon Young, who goes by the stage name of Jon Courtenay, will be battling it out on Saturday night in front of judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, David Walliams and Ashley Banjo, who is standing in for Simon Cowell.
He grew up in Ipswich and Martlesham and attended the Holbrook boarding school from 1984 until 1991, getting heavily involved in the New Wolsey youth theatre during his childhood.
Now, Jon lives in Manchester with his wife Emmah and their two sons, Nathan, aged 15, and Alfie, aged nine.
“I’ve been playing the piano since I was a child,” he explained. “My dad brought me up playing it and I have been working as a musician playing the piano for 30 years now.
“I like a lot of the classic music and often play Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra – though I only started singing recently when I thought if I’m playing their songs in bars I should probably sing them too.”
The 47-year-old was finally convinced to audition for the famous talent show after writing some of his own songs for comedy shows where he used song and his piano as props.
He finally took the take the chance and auditioned in February, where he was chosen by hosts Ant and Dec for the Golden Buzzer which fast-tracked him straight to the semi-finals after wowing the audience with his performance.
“We recorded the semi-final a few weeks ago at the London Palladium which was just a dream come true,” he admitted.
“Though there wasn’t a live audience, we did have family and friends watching from their screens and I was as happy as I could be with my performance – though I can’t tell you any more than that now.
“I loved every minute of being on the show and it’s been such an amazing experience – I haven’t really had much exposure yet or a big break so I think this could be it.”
Jon usually tours the country for a living so lockdown has given his family some much-needed time together.
The semi-final show will be airing on ITV at 8pm on Saturday, September 26, and you can vote for Jon then.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here