Whalsay woman to compete in Ness Factor 

Kay-Lisa Davidson. 

A Whalsay woman is set to take part in Inverness’ version of The X Factor after grief gave her a new perspective.

Kay-Lisa Davidson, originally from the Bonnie Isle, moved to Inverness 25 years ago with her husband Angus.

Despite having a love for singing, Mrs Davidson said she had always felt “really nervous” showcasing her voice to an audience.

“I sang at a wedding about 10 years ago, but I had to get Sheila Henderson in to sing with me because I was that nervous,” she recalled.

Since then, Mrs Davidson has taken part in drama groups in the area to build up her confidence.

“I never go for any parts. I just go for the encore. But I ended up getting a part in Sunshine On Leith where I was singing with three other folk.

“I was so nervous and saying ‘how am I going to do this?’ But I did it and it’s been a progression since then.” In February, Mrs Davidson suffered the loss of her mother Loretta Hutchison.

However, she says her grief gave her the courage to enter the seventh Ness Factor singing competition after watching friends participate in previous years.

“I was at it watching a couple of friends and I thought ‘there’s no way in a thousand million years I would do yun’. “Then mum died in February and grief does funny things to you and I thought ‘life’s short, why not?’

“Mum loved singing and all that. If you ever doubted yourself she’d always say ‘of coorse you can’ so that was my motivation.”

Donations to the fundraiser can be made here. 

Read the full story in today’s Shetland Times.