Newport singer-songwriter Charlene Jones to play hometown show at Rodney Parade

Charlene Jones, who grew up in Underwood but now lives in Surrey, is performing live at Rodney Parade ahead of Newport County AFC's tie with Oldham Athletic on Saturday, November 23 as part of Newport City Radio's live launch event.

Miss Jones has been recording music since 2012 and even went to the same music college as the likes of Ed Sheeran and members of Mumford and Sons.

"I could sing before I could talk and dance before I could walk," she said.

As far as backstories go, Miss Jones' is certainly not predictable.

Surviving open heart surgery twice in her younger years, Miss Jones also narrowly escaped being caught in a house fire.

"Down to spiritual experiences like clairvoyance I had a strong feeling something bad was going to happen and luckily I was not in the fire that night," she said.

"This made me chose to restart my life and focus on my career.

"After what happened to me with the fire, it was a way for me to express my emotions and feelings and gave me complete drive."

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The former Lliswerry High School student cites her time in Newport among the influences in her work.

"My song Checkmate ft. bizarre D12 was inspired by me wanting to show that miracles can be created even if your from the smallest of towns," she explained.

"My track I’ll Be There is also inspired by all my friends that made a impact on my life back home to say no matter where I am I will always be there for them."

In terms of musical influences, Miss Jones principally cites the work of N-Dubz along with that of Eminem, Rita Ora and Jessie J as having had an impact on her creatively.

Ahead of her hometown show at Rodney Parade this weekend, Miss Jones said she was looking forward to the opportunity.

"Im really excited to perform for Newport City Radio's Live Launch," she said.

"To perform for my friends, family and fans back at home is an awesome experience."

Miss Jones will be performing at Rodney Parade at 1.30pm on Saturday ahead of kick-off at 3pm.

Miss Jones' music is currently on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon, with physical copies of her album Truth of a Warrior available now at HMV in Cardiff.

For more information, music and videos, visit officialcharlene.com