Cole sings songs of life

Singer-songwriter Samantha Cole is a prodigious performer with a remarkable voice and a host of exquisite self-penned songs.

For the past month her single Without You has been in the Hong Kong charts. The story behind the discovery of this 22-year-old songstress is astonishing.

'When I was 15, my grandfather was in hospital in a coma. I sent my mother a demo of me singing The Rose and she played it for the nurses,' she said.

'My grandfather heard it, jumped up and looked around. They said you can often hear when you're in a coma; you just can't respond.' That incident inspired Cole to take her singing seriously and her first big break came at 16, when she performed on MTV's dance show, The Grind.

'I did 38 shows; I sang on one show for 30 seconds.' That was a cappella on a commercial spot with people clapping. 'They put my name up - that was cool.' Next was a singing gig at the renowned New York nightclub, Tatou, where she met a variety of producers and songwriters. It also gave her the opportunity to network and develop other artistic talents.

'I started to write my own songs and had the time to develop my own vibe.' Cole's first three songs got into the hands of Universal Music group chairman Doug Morris, who signed her.