GREENWICH singer Ben Forsythe is reaching for the stars after making it through to the London final of the Live and Unsigned contest.

Last month the 27-year-old took to the streets of the capital to perform his music to whoever happened to be passing by, just like thousands of buskers before him.

Only this time Ben abandoned the traditional open guitar case for a board reading, "Text Wildcard43 to 84222" so the public could help him progress to the next stage of the national competition.

Having gained enough support from passers by, he booked himself a spot in the Live and Unsigned London and South East Area Final on May 22, where he will be playing in front of judges and an audience of several hundred to try and win a place in the grand final at The O2 Arena in the summer.

Ben said: “It was something original that made people stop, listen and take notice. It’s very satisfying that people voted purely because they liked the music.

"It not only helped me get through to the next round but also gave me a chance to hone my performance.”

You can hear Ben perform at myspace.com/benforsythe