Leeds singer's life has changed forever thanks to viral video of song with busker five years on

Jade Helliwell, 31, has performed across the world and had global recognition with awards and huge shows thanks to the video of her performance of 'Hallelujah' in Leeds.

Speaking to the YEP to mark the fifth anniversary of the video which changed her life, Jade said she left her full time job as a teaching assistant to become a full time musician due to the success of the video and support of people around the world.

She has since performed in the United States and beyond, with further festival appearances on the horizon.

Jade now has more than 70,000 fans on her social media pages and is adored by music lovers across the world.

However, it was a video from a night out which launched her career into overdrive and helped her achieve her dreams.

In 2017, a video of Jade singing with a busker in the city centre was viewed more than 23 million times across social media.

She was quickly inundated with offers from across the music industry.

"When the video went viral the EP I had released in 2016 ‘Forget The Night’ went to number one in the iTunes country charts and number 8 in the all genre charts", Jade explained.

"Since then, I have gone on to release another EP And eight singles scoring a string of iTunes country number ones and been playlisted on several editorial playlists on Spotify including New Music Nashville and Wild Country.

"I’m super thankful for the viral video as I was already making a name for myself in the U.K. country scene but the video made me take the leap to pursue this dream full time."

Performing across the world since the video, Jade said her life had changed forever.

"In 2019 I was lucky enough to be invited on a tour of Australia with Buckle and Boots Festival. We played in Brisbane, twin towns , Toowoomba and more finishing with a set in the main stage at Tamworth Country Music Festival", she added.

"I’ve been lucky enough to perform in Nashville Tennessee, across the U.K. and part of a tour of Denmark with Nashville Nights Denmark which I’m super excited to be returning to play this September."

Jade has also taken home a host of awards including Yorkshire roots outstanding artist in 2017 and 2018.

However, lockdown put a temporary halt on her rapidly progressing career.

Not to be deterred, Jade thought of an innovative way to continue performing.

She said: "During lockdown my work was all cancelled and I faced not knowing when I could perform next so myself and boyfriend Luke Thomas began live streaming each Thursday evening.

"We built an incredibly supportive fan base and kept going every week for 63 weeks singing requests and my own music."

Jade is now set for a stellar 2022.

She continued: "This year is set to be one of my most exciting.

"I launched my first Podcast “What’s The G&Tea?!” , performed in Denmark with Nashville Sounds Denmark, performed at Country on the Clyde and Nashville Nights.

"I’ve a busy festival season with appearances at Buckle and Boots Country Festival, Tennessee Fields Festival, Millport Festival, The Long Road and various headline shows.

"I’ve just completed a Kickstarter Campaign where incredible fans raised over £10k to fund the recording and release of a brand new Ep this summer."

To watch the viral video, click here.