Even at five years old Gem’s dad remembers her belting the tunes of Lion King over and over again. Gem O’Reilly was first recognised for her musical talent whilst her class was rehearsing for the school musical when she was just nine years old. The teacher stopped her, and ran out of the classroom then returned with the headmistress and a list of singing contacts and teachers. “From that point on it has been a whirlwind of singing tuition, drama clubs, competitions and agencies” says Gem.
Gem O’Reilly is a seventeen year old singer-songwriter guitarist from Manchester, UK. Gem’s dramatic and musical experience stretches from working for BBC’s Waterloo Road at thirteen to performing alongside the famous, Jason Manford at seventeen. “Her drive for performing and her passion for all arts is what makes her so interesting”, says her old performing agency. The youngster has experienced all aspects of theatre, including both performing and writing for Manchester’s wonderful, “Royal Exchange Theatre” for two years.
Gem is simply a teenager working hard at her A Levels, however she does tend to lead a double life. After her original song, “The War” was signed to a recording contract at just sixteen years old she has delved into the gigging industry. “I perform around 2-3 times per week, which is hard to balance with A Level study, but I use music as my escape.” The songstress gigs frequently round Manchester, some of which have included ‘The Manchester Academy’ and famous music venues; ‘Dry Bar Live’ and ‘Night N Day’. “It’s no hobby, it has become who I am”, says Gem.
As a writer, Gem continues to mature and produce compositions. She will be recording her first EP and plans to release it this winter. The EP will feature a selection of the folk-pop songs that has attracted a variety of industry interest already. For example, V05 contacted Gem to request her original, “Love Potion” to be entered into their ‘Express Yourself’ competition with the chance of performing at Isle of Wight Festival 2013. Her recently set up YouTube account too has attracted interest, with over 35,000 total views on her live acoustic videos.
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Just two years after picking up the guitar, this girl is definitely striving for success. Numerous festivals, weddings, parties and Key 103 performances show that Gem is building her experience within the business.
Therefore with a guitar in one hand and her book of songs in the other; Gem is reaching for her goal.
Like Gem on Facebook: www.facebook.com/gemoreillymusic
Subscribe to Gem on YouTube: www.youtube.com/gemoreillymusictube
Book Gem for a gig: gemma.oreilly@ntlworld.com
