Talented performer Rachel White from Kinross has a bumper schedule to look forward to.
The year 2022 is proving to be a breakthrough time as Rachel, who is in two Edinburgh Fringe shows, launches her second music single this month as well as preparing to perform in London’s West End.
The 26-year-old, a former pupil of Kinross High School, is a graduate of the MGA Academy of Performing Arts in Edinburgh.
After wowing TikTok fans with her rendition of Tina Turner’s ‘Simply The Best’, on July 29 she released a single for download on all major platforms — just days before the curtain was due to rise on her Fringe performance in Big Band Does…Broadway by BBD Productions.
After that run closes on August 14, she will then be centre stage for Divas, also at The Rose Theatre in Edinburgh, where she will give solo performances of ‘Believe’ by Cher, ‘Like A Prayer’ by Madonna, and Idina Menzel’s ‘Into The Unknown’ from Frozen.
“After such a busy year, I wanted to get back into theatre, and it’s great to be back in Edinburgh,” said Rachel, based back home in Kinross during her Fringe stint but who normally now calls London home.
“I want to carry on balancing stage work with recording as I get such a buzz from both.
“The past year has been a ‘good’ type of busy, as I’ve been involved in musical workshops and shows, and I would like to continue going down the road.
“Producing music and being in a show is where I want to be. Happiness comes first, and as long as enjoying what I’m doing then I’ll carry on.
“For my stage work, I’m lucky to be represented by a brilliant agency, but in my music I have no manager and no label — just me!”
This is all in a year where Rachel’s self-written recordings of ‘You Don’t Want Me Anymore’ and ‘No Label’ each featured as BBC Radio Scotland’s Single of the Week and she featured in ITV2 dating show, The Cabins, which aired in January.
“I think I’m scarred from dating since being in The Cabins,” she revealed. “But, being on that show made sense as my music has been about relationships, and being on TV boosted my social media following. It’s been some year!”
In the pipeline for the multi-disciplined, multi-talented young star is another new music release — a Spotify exclusive release of ‘Anything But You’ on August 12 — and hopes that a London show called Chase The Musical, where Rachel recorded alongside the likes of JLS’s Aston Merrigold, is picked up by West End producers.
She also has ambitions of launching a headline show in Edinburgh based on her music as a singer-songwriter.
Rachel began performing when she was a child, but credits the MGA Academy of Performing Arts with giving her the tuition, support and confidence to pursue a professional career in the industry.
The school was established in 2005 to provide a platform for aspiring performers to remain in Scotland while studying at a level equivalent to prestigious London colleges.
It now attracts aspiring performers from around the UK and across Europe and is currently recruiting for its 2022-23 intake for BA (Hons) Dance, Musical Theatre, and Acting, with auditions for coveted places set to take place on Sunday, August 7 and online thereafter.
School principal Marcella Macdonald said: “Here at the MGA Academy of Performing Arts, we are so proud of Rachel for all she has achieved since graduating in 2018.
“We take great pride in nurturing raw talent, and it’s always a joy to see our students develop the skills needed to pursue such successful careers in the industry.”
