From her very first appearance in Xfactor 2007, Beverley Trotman wowed the hearts of the UK public. Inspired to apply by her class pupils, this primary school teacher from Bedfordshire had no gimmicks and no story – just a desire to set an example and inspire others with her powerful, emotional voice and warm character.
Her amazing voice carried her through to the live shows in 2007 where she continued to touch the nation with her gospel-inspired vocals. She not only found acclaim from guest stars such as Celine Dion and Boyz II Men, but also from her pupils of class 6E who simply thought Mrs Trotman was fantastic!
But Beverley's journey began way before she auditioned along with 130,000 others back in 2007. Her faith has always been at the centre of her life.
“We all have such great potential to help and touch other lives, regardless of where we come from,” says Beverley “The source of my faith began with a desire to survive in a tough world. My natural mother passed away when I was only four years old and I was then raised my my grandparents and their ten other children in a small house.”
Singing from the age of five, Beverley says: “I would always attempt to copy the elder members of our congregation; me and my siblings would go back home and have pretend mini church services, forming little choirs and often have fun mimicking the elder members of our congregation (much to my grandparents displeasure!)”
Unlike many singers who go on to acting and music school, Beverley continued to use her talents within the gospel and local community, forming ‘The Luton Schools Gospel Choir’ and also enjoying the bond of being part of larger choirs such as IDMC and then The Kingdom Choir. For Kingdom, Beverley sang lead vocal at various events for such dignitaries such as Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and the Queen.
Music has always been a vocation for Beverley. By the time she decided to branch out on her own in the 2007 season of X Factor, she was married to Jonathan and had two children, Tianna and Luke. She had also gained a degree and become a primary school teacher.
Beverley explains: “Teaching children, and having children of my own, made me realise that I had to set an example to those who are too afraid to fail. If you don’t try, you won’t reach your full potential. My pupils would often tell me: ‘You should enter for X Factor, Mrs Trotman.’ So eventually I did!”
Those few months back in 2007 helped launch Beverley Trotman as a household name in the UK. However Beverley still puts everything into perspective. “You need to really know who you are and what you believe in; the music business is fickle. As anyone who has participated in the show will tell you, the pressure to perform in front of 10 million people is immense, but also such a blessing. The experience is life changing, a roller-coaster journey which has helped strengthen my faith”
Life continued to throw open other opportunities for Beverley. For the official West End national tour of ‘FAME the musical’ she acted in the role of Mrs Shermon, an academic teacher who believes the dance pupils within the school should also reach their full academic potential. In this 115 date UK production, even though surrounded by seasoned performers, Beverley received much acclaim across the nation for both her acting and amazing solos.
Beverley has also had numerous opportunities to spread a message of hope. “It was such an honour singing Nina Simone's ‘Feeling Good’ to thousands during the X Factor national tour – it’s such a positive song,” she explains.
Other events include singing with hundreds of children at Liverpool's Gospel Festival; performing with a wonderful community choir at ‘Brighton Goes Gospel’; soloing with her local Luton Gospel Community Choir; and leading worship during her late night session at Spring Harvest Christian festival.
“People tell me that I possess a peace while on stage, and I explain to them that although I am trying to perform to my best ability, I am always aware that my fate lies in God’s hands! Now my desire is to sing about the peace which trusting in God has brought me.”
Now the time has come for Beverley to continue touching our lives with her debut album ‘Voice of Hope’. The album reflects a crossover sound fusing her soulful vocals with her love for contemporary worship songs.
Out soon on the Integrity (Europe) label, ‘The Voice of Hope’ is the title track and sums up the general message, with a collection of uplifting, feelgood songs that offer hope during the current time which seems so full of uncertainty. “where there seems to be no way - God makes it possible.”