A number one single in the UK iTunes country album chart, opening for US star Rufus Wainwright coupled with success at home and abroad, it’s safe to say things are going very well for Demi Marriner.

Demi, who is in her final year at the University of Gloucestershire studying Popular Music, is looking forward to gracing the stage in Montpellier Gardens at the 2018 Cheltenham Jazz Festival. This won’t be the first time Demi steps onto stage at the Jazz Festival, her debut performance came in 2016 and she followed that up a year later, playing tracks from her first two albums. This time round she’ll be performing at a bigger venue, inside the Jazz Arena in Montpellier Gardens, a tent that has a capacity of 635 seats.

“I’m really excited about it – hopefully it’ll be great,” said Demi. “For the past two years, I’ve performed on the smaller stages that are in town, but this year I’m the showcase artist in the jazz arena, which is a massive step-up.

“I’ve been a singer-songwriter and guitarist for five years. I loved music throughout my childhood and was always listening to it. I’m self-taught – I wanted to be able to play instruments that would back up the songs I’d written. I’ve played the violin since I was five. I’ve also taught myself to play piano, banjo and mandolin,” she added.

“Any time you get asked to perform at a prestigious festival is a real honour. I’ve enjoyed my last two Jazz Festival performances and can’t wait for the upcoming one. One of my favourite performances was supporting Rufus Wainwright – that’s definitely something I look back on with fond memories. I was supporting such a huge artist. I even had a dressing room and a huge mirror with lights around it! It was an incredible performance space, with the capacity for just under 3000 people.”

Studying at the Park Campus in Cheltenham, Demi says she enjoys balancing performing with studying. “I love my course. It’s really flown by – it’s been the fastest three years of my life. I think one of the best experiences it has given me was living in Edmonton in Canada for six months. I had the chance to play a lot of shows there, a truly memorable experience,” she said.

Success has come naturally to Demi, her debut album ‘Tracks and Trails’ was released in April 2016 and went straight to number one on the country albums section on ITunes. Her follow-up album, ‘Dandelion’ – received rave reviews and reached number two in the charts.

“I’m so proud of how well they were received. I’ve also done lots of co-writing and a few other different projects – I’m currently doing some writing for a musical which has been really good. I’m currently recording a new live EP. We’ll be filming in some amazing venues which is exciting.”

Although she’ll be feeling the nerves ahead of her performance at the Jazz Festival, Demi can draw on an impressive catalogue of recent performances. “I’ve done lots with orchestras and musical theatre. I’ve been in a lot of bands in the past as well. I played a lot of rock and pop music. It took me a lot of time to work out where I wanted to go with my music – it’s a mix of Americana, country, folk and jazz. I realised it was okay that I took time to find my feet and style, it’s important to keep going and not give up after the first hurdle.

Demi says her immediate future will be spent in the studio and is keen to continue in education when her three-year course comes to an end. She said: “I’m going to continue to do plenty of recording. I’d also like to do a master’s in Music Therapy. I love the freedom of it and the feeling I get when I write songs,” she said.

Make sure to check out Demi’s performance if you’re at the Jazz Festival – you might be watching the next big star.