An East Lothian woman has told of the 'surreal' experience of appearing on a hit Channel 4 television show.
Nicole Baird, 21, was scouted for The Piano back in January and was able to perform in front of the camera and a large crowd of people at Edinburgh Waverley.
She said she has "never done anything like it before" and although she was extremely excited, it was also a nerve-racking moment for her. She has played the piano ever since she was eight years old and said the moment felt "completely surreal".
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Speaking to Edinburgh Live, she said: "Back in January I got a message through my TikTok account to see if I was interested and that's how it came about really, I didn't know much about the show at that time.
"After that I had a phone call, sent some videos over and it all happened within three or four weeks. I found out by the end of the month and it was all very exciting. I had never done anything like that before, it felt so surreal but so nerve-racking.
The Piano returned for a second series with Claudia Winkleman as the host and Mika and Lang Lang as the judges. Nicole played and sang Murder on The Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor in front of a large crowd at the busy train station with her family members also watching on with her performance being aired on Sunday night, May 12.
She said: "In the moment, I couldn't believe it was happening. I had family members who were watching at the time and it was really to see how it all came together and nice to watch it knowing exactly what I was thinking in the moment. Claudia was so nice as well, she made you feel so welcome.
"I have been playing since I was eight years old. My gran looked after people and their houses too so I would go along with her after school.
"One of the people she looked after owned a music school in Musselburgh and I ended up getting lessons off of their daughter and I was her first student. I now teach at that school and started when I was 16."
Also taking part in Sunday night's episode was Daria Golovchenko, a Ukrainian refugee who fled to Edinburgh with her daughter. She has now made it to the final of The Piano following her emotional performance.
She impressed judges, commuters and locals with her performance at Waverley Station in Edinburgh. After settling in the capital, she explained that playing the piano made her "feel strong again".
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She started playing the piano when she was five years old, and is now set to perform at a concert in Manchester where the winner of the series will then be chosen.
