Chiswick-based singer-songwriter Tommy Ludgate has won £15,000 in an online competition to fund the recording of her debut album.

The musician uploaded a homemade demo to slicethepie.com and managed to convince listeners on the website that she deserved the money above a thousand other entrants. She received the money after gaining more votes than any other musician.

This is not the first taste of success for Tommy, who was signed before at the age of 13, releasing music worldwide and appearing on TV and radio all across Europe.

Tommy is now at the financing stage where fans can invest a further £5 towards the album. This entitles them to a digital copy of the album on release and a backstage pass where the fans can have their say about the production of the album, and buy shares in Tommy, allowing business-savvy supporters the chance to make a profit should the artist become a huge success.

Tommy said she was "ecstatic" with the result.

She added: "I have six months to create something stunning, so I hope everyone will stick with me and get hold of a copy once it's done and released."