Commonwealth Games 2022: Birmingham singer to perform at opening ceremony

The self-managed artist grew up in Erdington

A singer from Birmingham will getting the chance to fulfil her dream after being chosen to perform at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

Indigo Marshall, 25, is set to take to the stage in front of 30,000 people at the Alexander Stadium with around a billion viewers expected worldwide.

She will be joining headline act Duran Duran on 28 July.

"It is crazy, I'm living a real dream," the singer told BBC Radio WM.

The Soul and R&B singer has been featured on BBC Introducing and BBC Radio 1Xtra

Raised in Erdington, the star described performing ahead of the international sporting competition as a "humbling moment".

The line-up also includes Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), and Gambimi, who is also from the city.

Pop band Duran Duran will be headlining the ceremony

Rapper, artist and educator Joshua 'RTKal' Holness will be directing the stadium production along with artistic director Iqbal Khan.

Mezzo-soprano Samantha Oxborough, a graduate of The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, will also perform the national anthem with the CBSO.

For Ms Marshall, the honour of singing at the formal opening of the Games in her hometown has left her "ecstatic".

She said: "It will be the biggest stage I've ever touched and I want to soak up every moment of it.

The Games will run from 28 July to 8 August, with the Alexander Stadium as one of the venues

"Growing up in Erdington was great, there is a community spirit."

Her passion for music was born at the age of four when she started attending musical theatre classes.

The star will be performing a ballad at the ceremony

The singer-songwriter went on to sell out her first headline show in 2018 and released her first single the following year.

Her EP, The Fall, made it to the number one spot on Amazon's R&B best seller list.

The Games will be the first top flight multi-sport event hosted in the UK since the 2014 Glasgow games, and before that the 2012 London Olympics.