YouTube star has not left home for years - video (From Worcester News)

YouTube star Jemma Pixie Hixon has not left home for years

11:30am Monday 18th April 2011 in News By Flora Drury, @floradruryWN #worcsnews

STAR: Jemma Pixie Hixon

A SINGER from Malvern has become an international hit and recorded a charity single – despite not leaving her home for two years.

Jemma Pixie Hixon has not left her house in Great Malvern for two years because she suffers from agoraphobia – a fear of being in public places – which keeps her trapped inside.

But she hasn’t let this stop her reaching for her dreams – while you may not know her name, there are thousands in the Far East who do.

The 20-year-old ex-Malvern Girls’ College pupil has had a staggering 2,343,708 hits on her YouTube channel, where she uploads videos of herself singing popular chart songs.

Miss Hixon even claimed the “most viewed” top spot on YouTube in China last month.

“For the last two years, I’ve been struggling with agoraphobia,” she said.

“I used to perform all the time and I really wanted a way I could continue.

“I decided to put my songs up on YouTube so I could share them with lots of people, even though I’m still housebound.”

For Miss Hixon, who has suffered panic attacks from a young age, being a YouTube hit gives her a way to interact with people.

And it is through this interaction with other online stars in the UK that she has got involved with One in a Million – a charity single for Japan.

Miss Hixon and seven other internet singers have got together to mobilise their fans through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to buy the single, with the proceeds going to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

She said: “I have many supporters in Japan, some of which were affected by the earthquake, and I was so deeply saddened to wake up to the tragic news.

“I have friends who still haven’t heard from their families over in Japan yet.

“To see so many female artists from YouTube pull together for this single is really quite special.

“We all love music, and if we can help even in the slightest by making this song, it would be truly amazing.”

Miss Hixon doesn’t know yet how well the single has done, but is hopeful her fans will get behind the effort.

“In a way, I think being online prepares me for the outside,” she said. “You get a lot of negative comments as well as nice comments.

“If I was able to get better – and I know it can happen – I would want to sing, because all I have ever wanted to do is to be a recording artist.”

• The One In A Million single is available to buy on iTunes.