AN up and coming singer has been shortlisted for a prestigious awards ceremony in the US - but she can't afford to go.

Katie Holdsworth, 24, has been shortlisted for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards best alternative song for 2015.

The awards ceremony will be held in Hollywood, California, in November this year and looks to celebrate the world's best unsigned musical talent and independent songwriters.

Miss Holdsworth's nomination is for her yet-to-be-released song Miss Lionheart.

It proved an online sensation after she uploaded a 30-second long demo clip of it to her Facebook page in November last year.

Since then the song has been played on BBC's Introducing West Yorkshire and also appeared on radio stations in South Dakota and Chicago.

The Little Horton-born singer, who performs under the stage name Katie Ellie, has proved to be a smash hit.

The former Tong High School student works as a retail assistant at Infinities in Bradford, but is looking to record songs for a forthcoming six-track EP.

She plans to crack America first, where she says her music has proved a hit and hopes to write as well as perform her own music in the future.

Miss Holdsworth, of Hustlergate, who describes her musical style as pop indie, says she was shocked to receive the prestigious Hollywood nomination and hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow Bradford popstars Zayn Malik and reggae star Melissa Steel.

She said: "I feel overwhelmed to be nominated. I wrote that song in just an hour-and-a-half.

"I just put it on my Facebook page and a guy in America picked it up and put it forward to be nominated for the award.

"Unfortunately I won't be able to go to the ceremony in Hollywood as I can't afford to go.

"There is nobody that I look up to in music really.

"My life experiences have inspired me to do it.

"I want to write songs for other people too. I have been writing songs since I was nine-years-old.

"I've not had the confidence to perform live yet.

"I'm going back into the studio to do some more recording.

"A few producers want me to sing for them and perform on dance music tracks.

"My music seems to be a lot more popular in America at the moment.

"I'm trying to push myself more over there and hopefully make it in the UK too.

"Miss Lionheart is about a girl who is fragile and sensitive inside but appears the complete opposite to everyone else.

"The music scene in Bradford is really good at the moment. There are a few people from here who have made it like Melissa Steel and Zayn Malik."