A talented Greenock singer has struck a chord with bosses at Elton’s music company — and is now set to record in Los Angeles with Justin Bieber’s producer.

Rising star Lewis Darrah performed at Elton’s Rocket Music artist management firm in London a fortnight ago and impressed top executives. The 18-year-old is now preparing to jet out to LA next month to record and is due to work with A-list producer Poo Bear, who is behind recent hits by pop superstar Justin Bieber.

It is all thanks to New York music manager and promoter Tommy Johnston, who spotted the former Inverclyde Academy pupil performing on social media. Lewis has also lined up a gig at the world-famous Hotel Cafe in LA where the likes of Adele and Ed Sheeran have played and hopes his American adventure will kick-start his music career across the Atlantic.

He told the Telegraph: “I had a lot of music and stuff on social media and about three months ago I uploaded a country song on Instagram because I’m a big fan of TV show Nashville. By the next morning I had a message from some guy in LA saying he wanted to speak to me more about my music. A lot of people have contacted me from Glasgow, Edinburgh and London, asking me to join bands, but I’ve turned them down because I’m not a boy band person — I’m a solo singer and songwriter.

“But this guy said he wanted to take me on as a soloist and messaged me back saying he was in London. He flew me down there and I spent the whole weekend there. He also wanted to meet my family so we all went down and met Elton John’s head executive. Usually for a meeting like that you have to ask a year in advance but he managed to get it within a few days because Tommy knows Elton John and his husband David Furnish. I sang three songs and answered some questions and they loved it.”

On the back of the trip to the ‘Rocket Man’ singer’s London HQ, Lewis is preparing to rub shoulders with some more big names in the music business. The former King’s Glen and King’s Oak pupil first started singing when he was about four or five years old through the Church of Nazarene in Port Glasgow, where he attends. Now his prayers have been answered with an all-expenses paid trip to LA to record and perform.

Lewis said: “Tommy’s getting me in the studio and arranging for me to meet famous producers, including Poo Bear who helped write some of Justin Bieber’s songs. To get my foot in the door like this is amazing but a bit nerve-racking. I’ve always wanted to go to LA and do music. In this industry there’s a lot of people aiming for it. But I’m going there hoping to get signed.”

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