AN EALING blues star is asking music lovers to vote for her in this year’s British Blues Awards.

Kareña K, a saxophonist and singer who plays a variety of musical genres, has been nominated for the Instrumentalist award.

The Pitshanger musician was nominated by a panel of British blues DJs, promoters and festival organisers and now needs to win the public vote by the end of this month.

“It is an honour to have been nominated in the category this year," she said.

“I am just amazed people have actually noticed I am out there at the moment as it is quite quiet gig-wise for a lot of us.

“It would be great if Ealing could get behind me because obviously I live here.”

She was runner up in the finals last year in the Song of the Year category with Long Way to Heaven, which she recorded with Wily Bo Walker.

She said she did not expect to be nominated this year and still does not expect to win.

Kareña, who is doing a degree in music technology and audio post-production at London College of Music, said she was motivated to study because of a lack of money in the British music scene.

She hopes to move sideways professionally by going into lecturing or post-production alongside performing.

“I have been a professional musician all my life but unfortunately the way that the industry is at the moment I am no longer earning a living,” she said.

“Everybody is getting paid and for some reason they think we should do it for nothing.”

Kareña learnt about music by playing in 18 piece big bands in her hometown Wigan and has toured internationally, attending festivals as far-flung as Dubai.

The British Blues Awards voting will close on June 30 and the awards will be held on September 11 at Newark Castle in Nottinghamshire.

Image courtesy of Kareña K via YouTube, with thanks