For those who haven't yet heard of Victoria Hart, they soon will. The singing waitress has been the subject of a bidding war between three record companies vying to sign the talented performer - who up until now has been earning £7 an hour at the Naked Turtle restaurant in Richmond.
The 18-year-old recently made headlines when she was picked from obscurity to sing in front of a host of A-listers, including George Clooney, at a lavish party in Cannes.
For the event Victoria splashed out on an £800 Moschino dress - which cost her two months' wages. The price of designer dresses is unlikely to be an issue in the future, though, as she signs a £1.5 million record deal on Tuesday.
Recalling the moment she was asked to sing for the Hollywood elite, the Essex-raised blonde says: "I was in a bit of a bad mood that day, but then they said, 'Guess who's going to be there? Brad Pitt and George Clooney.' I couldn't stop laughing."
Ironically it was at a jazz event in Cannes that Victoria, then aged 15, was first discovered, although her big break has not come until now. Since the party, interest in the singer has rocketed and she has accepted an offer to perform at Glastonbury. There's a single out soon and her first album, Whatever Happened To Romance, is scheduled for release at the start of July.
Despite the prospect of a future in showbiz, Victoria says she won't be giving up on waitressing at the Naked Turtle just yet. She does plan on reducing her work hours to one shift a fortnight, though.
Born in California in 1988, the retro-loving chanteuse moved to England at the age of five and on to France in 2000 before returning to London in 2005. She can sing in three languages and counts Amy Winehouse and Eva Cassidy among her musical inspirations. "My style is like Ella Fitzgerald or Aretha Franklin, but no one in years has done the whole 1940s big band thing with modern lyrics."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
