Ness Factor is ‘great opportunity’ to step up for Nairn singer
Taking part in the most popular singing competition in the Highlands feels a bit like coming full circle for Nairn contestant, Jo Turner.
“I love these things that the universe sends us to challenge us and step up. It’s one of those things that you can look back to when you are older and think - oh, wasn’t it fun?”
The 33-year-old from Nairn will be among the 13 singers who will be taking on stage for the 2024 edition of Ness Factor on October 26.
This is one of the main fundraisers for the Highland Hospice - a charity that bears a family connection to Jo.
“My granny was actually the first matron at the Highland Hospice in Inverness. It’s nice to also have that family connection.
“So many people benefit from the service and the staff have such a reputation for the care that they give. It’s great to have this opportunity to raise money for them whilst doing this incredible challenge.”
After leaving Nairn when she was 18, Jo had “a few different lives” working on ski resorts in France, then moving to Cardiff and Edinburgh and eventually doing her degree in journalism, and working in the field for several years.
“I had my ups and downs in London,” she said.
“As anyone does living there, it can be quite a hard place to live sometimes.”
In search of a fresh start, she moved back to her hometown three years ago, joining the staff at the Bandstand - where she rediscovered her passion for music.
“I have really found my people there. It’s a family, it really is. There is a great music community and we have artists coming from far and wide. We are really blessed to have what we have got there.
“I have always sung and I have done a lot when I was a teenager. But I wasn’t really doing that much in my 20s. After I started working at the Bandstand, I started joining the open mics nights on Sundays, and that really got me back into singing.”
The popular bar was also where she had the push which led her to apply and audition for Ness Factor.
Jo said: “Katie (Munro), who took part in Ness Factor last year, did one of her fundraisers at the pub and she really encouraged me to apply.
“As well as supporting such a great cause, it’s a chance for me to step up as a performer. That was my motivation for getting involved.”
A big support came also from her boyfriend, Chick McFarlane (of the band Bad Actress) and from her family.
“It’s great to have all these people to collaborate with and to get behind me,” she said.
With a colourful music palette for inspiration, she is still working on finding the perfect song to take to the finals in autumn.
She explained: “I am really an indie kid - my favourite bands are Bloc Party, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Yeah Yeah Yeah… I am also a bit of a swiftie, I didn’t escape that! I take inspiration from a lot of different places music-wise: R&B and hip hop, jazz music, and I love a bit of drum and bass. I like to sing a mix of rock-pop and soul.
“I am a bit eclectic - which makes it all the harder to choose a song, but that’s why we have such good coaches to help us through!”
She said she is really looking forward to working with Fiona, her vocal coach for the competition, who had also mentored Katie and another of Jo’s friends.
The fundraising plans are also taking shape, with a main night set for October 6 when she will host an open mic night at the Bandstand.
In between, she plans to raise funds busking with her partner in Inverness over the summer, running a 10k and organising raffles and coffee mornings in Nairn.
With coaching sessions having just started, she is looking forward to the months to come.
She said: “Watching the highlights from last year and seeing the level of production that goes in there, I am really looking forward to it.
“Within the next couple of weeks, we’ll have the choice of songs nailed down and then we will start working on the performances for the main event. It will start to feel real. I have never been involved in a production quite like it, so it will be really cool to work with all the people working on it.”
