2026 graduate performs at O2 Arena for Peter Kay

Recent LIPA graduate Emily Rhodes took to one of the UK’s biggest stages last week, performing her new single Famous to Me to a packed crowd at London's O2 Arena during comedian Peter Kay’s tour.

The opportunity came about through her behind the scenes role, as she has been working as a Production Assistant on Peter Kay’s tour since January 2023. "The Tour Manager, Andy Redhead, came to watch my 2ube Xtra performance at LIPA in April and showed Peter some of the videos," Emily explains. "Whilst working on shows in Birmingham at the start of May, Peter asked if I’d like to perform at a show in the future, to which I obviously said YES! I said jokingly that I’d love to perform at The O2 arena in London, and I couldn’t believe he said yes!"

"It was such an incredible experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life," Emily tells us. "To get the chance to perform in front of 15,500 people, alongside my family and work colleagues, was something else. I was both nervous and excited before going on stage, but as soon as Peter introduced me, I felt surprisingly relaxed! The performance itself couldn’t have gone any better. The audience were amazing and I had some lovely messages afterwards from those who were there."

During her set, Emily performed her single Famous to Me, a track taken all the way from concept to its release during her time studying at LIPA. "I started writing Famous to Me in second year at LIPA, in my songwriting seminar with Steve Parker," she shares. "I revisited the song again in third year in my seminar with Rich O’Flynn and I knew instantly that I was so proud of it."

"I loved the idea of feeling so in love with someone that they feel like the most famous person in the world to you. As soon as I came up with the hook ‘Am I famous to you? ‘Cause you’re famous to me’, the rest just wrote itself."

Her performance at The O2 and the release of Famous to Me are the latest achievements in what has turned out to be an extraordinary past few weeks for Emily. Celebrating her graduation from LIPA on the 21^st of July, she was also recently selected for a 1 to 1 songwriting session with our Founder and Lead Patron, Sir Paul McCartney.

"When I received the email I think I screamed!" Emily recalls. "I couldn’t believe I had been given such an incredible opportunity to play two of my original songs to one of my songwriting heroes. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget, and he gave me some great feedback. It still doesn’t feel real at all. I am so grateful to Sir Paul and LIPA for the opportunity of a lifetime."

You can listen to Emily Rhodes’ latest single, Famous to Me here.