A SINGER-songwriter from Pendle has set his sights on topping the charts after signing his first publishing deal.

Jay Stansfield’s big break came when he recorded an acoustic session for Greg Healey’s show on Dandelion Radio, an online station, last year.

The DJ was so impressed by Jay’s material that he tipped off Tourettes Publishing, the sister company of White Label Music.

When Tourettes got in touch with the Nelson musician a few weeks later, he said he jumped at the chance to sign a three-year deal.

And he is hoping his debut single, called Express Yourself, sells enough to send it rocketing into the charts when it is released later this month.

Jay, 31, was formerly frontman of Pendle five-piece indie-pop band, Say, which had a large fanbase locally.

The former Colne Primet High School pupil, who celebrated the birth of his first child, a little girl, 19 months ago, said the deal had made his year.

He said: “I’ve been working towards this for about 10 years and now that it’s come along, it feels really nice, especially now I have a family.

“When my daughter came along I thought right, something has got to change for me to be able to support my family through something I love doing.

“I want to inspire my daughter and everyone else to see that you can have the freedom to do something you love and be successful as well.”

Express Yourself, described as a pop song with beautiful harmonies, will be available to download via iTunes and Amazon from Monday, March 28.

The photograph on the cover was shot in rundown terrace streets in Burnley Wood.

Jay is also in the process of putting the finishing touches to his debut album, recorded at Burnley’s Central Recording Studio and produced by Rob Ashworth.

He said: “I’m aiming for number one in the digital download charts - that would be fantastic.”