The story of rising Worcester singer/songwriter Poppy Waterman-Smith, who has landed a prestigious gig in New York, is one that will give encouragement to the many thousands of musicians plugging away as they look for that elusive big break.

The multi-instrumentalist, better known as Poppy WS, secured the gig after being spotted performing online by Billy Joel’s bassist, Larry Russell and is set to perform at the Big Apple’s oldest rock club, The Bitter End in Greenwich Village.

It’s not strictly true to say that this is the 25-year-old’s first brush with fame; three years ago she was spotted busking in Manchester by pop star Seal and asked to open his concert that night, since when she has released her own self-produced album.

And it does highlight the sheer luck of being in the right place at the right time – fellow singer/songwriter KT Tunstall’s big break arrived when she filled a hole in the running order on Jools Holland’s Later show in the early 2000s.

But it also goes to show that the combination of talent, persistence and downright hard work will put any aspiring musician in a far better place to succeed in the sometimes harsh world of the music industry.

Let Poppy WS stand testament to that and act as a spur to those who would hope to emulate her.