Andrea Begley

Originally from the village of Pomeroy in Co Tyrone, Andrea Begley hails from a rich tradition of Irish music and song. Her aunt Philomena Begley, known as Ireland’s “Queen of Country”, was a big influence on the younger Andrea, who looked up to her aunt as a shining example of women in the Irish music business.

Having performed in choirs and all-Ireland music competitions in her youth, Andrea moved to Belfast and began working on original song-writing and honing her craft at open mic and original music events. In 2012, she was a finalist in song-writing TV show “The Hit”, with her song “The Message” being chosen by star producer Steve Lillywhite for the final ten.

Encouraged by this result, and by her promoters of the Belfast music scene, Andrea entered The Voice UK in 2013. Registered blind since the age of 9, the show’s format - with judges unable to see her as she auditioned - appealed to her. Although, as she pointed out at the time, it also meant that she couldn’t tell if any of the judges had turned for her! Saying Andrea had "the voice of an angel", The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue leapt at the chance to mentor her. Andrea went on to wow celebrity coaches and audiences alike, with performances of emotive ballads such as Angel, Songbird and My Immortal, and after beating thousands of other talented singers, was crowned the Voice UK winner in June, 2013.

“Andrea’s voice is beautiful, angelic and touches me right in the heart” - Tom Jones

With fans propelling her debut album “The Message” to no 7 in the UK album charts, Andrea began touring with sell-out shows in iconic venues in Belfast, London and beyond, including playing to thousands of fans in Beijing.

Since then, Andrea has released a number of successful singles, touring solo and with her aunt Philomena across Northern Ireland. She is currently finishing her second album of covers and original material.

As a result of losing her sight in childhood, Andrea has lived experience of what life is like for someone with a disability. From the age of 19, she has volunteered with the Royal National Institute of Blind people, and is currently chair of the RNIB network committee in Northern Ireland. She lends her voice to many campaigns on disability issues, particularly those faced by blind and partially sighted people regarding access to education, employment and services.