HE'S done it! Talented teenager Billy Phillips has made it through to the grand final of South Coast Idol after beating off fierce competition in the regional heats.

Hundreds of people clapped and cheered as the 16-year-old gave a winning rendition of his touching ballad Butterfly, which he wrote about his mum Jackie, who died from bowel cancer in 2003.

Billy, of Vespasian Gardens, Rooksdown, was up against 15 other contestants from across the South during the regional final, held at The Square Balloon in Southampton last Wednesday.

An audience vote ensured he was among the top five selected to go on to the grand final in Portsmouth on Saturday, May 27, where he will compete against finalists from the Brighton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth heats.

Speaking after last week's regional final, he said: "I'm really pleased. I wasn't expecting to get through because all the way through the competition the standards were really high - right from the first auditions.

"I was very happy with the way the audience reacted. At first everyone was talking but I thought I grabbed their attention so they were listening in the end and I had lots of nice comments afterwards as well."

And the audience were not the only ones to show their appreciation - even the tough-talking judges heaped praised on the up-and-coming star.

Caragan Music Agency's Gary Butler, considered to be the Simon Cowell of the judging panel, said Billy was "a great talent" and others described the lyrics in Butterfly as beautiful.

Billy said: "I thought I gave a powerful performance and I was happy with it, and with what the judges said - especially Gary,

"I'm really looking forward to the grand final. I'm going to sing another song I wrote called Girl Like You, which is a bit more upbeat."

Unfortunately, another Basingstoke hopeful, 25-year-old Kath Morgan, was eliminated despite giving an excellent performance of Joss Stone's hit You Had Me.

Miss Morgan, who works for Shoosmiths in Basing View, and lives in Winchester, said: "It was a great experience, but it's come to an end for me.

"The others were a cut above the rest. Billy was fantastic and I'll be giving him all my support now."

For tickets to the final, call the Portsmouth Guildhall box office on 023 9282 4355.

First published: Thursday, April 20, 2006