A DUDLEY student has made it through to the next stage of ITV's The Voice after being chosen by Olly Murs.

Blessing Chitapa impressed the judges with her rendition of 'I'd Rather Go Blind' by Etta James on last Saturday's show.

Olly Murs picked the teenager during the blind audition, praising her performance as "crazy good".

Blessing, who is currently studying biology, chemistry and psychology A-Levels at Dudley College, was cheered on by her proud family who are pastors at Cornerstone Fellowship International Church in West Bromwich.

Olly Murs pressed his buzzer, sending Blessing into the next round of the ITV competition.

He told the 17-year-old: "I thought you might be in your 30s as you have so much soul and you have such control and your voice is crazy good. And then when I turned around, you're 17.

"I'm so glad that I turned."

Fellow judges Tom Jones, Will.i.am and Megan Trainor also praised Blessing's performance for the quality of her voice control.

An ecstatic Blessing said: "I cant believe this, I made it."

The teenager will next perform in the battle rounds where she will compete against other contestants in front of a live studio audience.

Olly Murs took to Twitter after the show was broadcast to praise the latest addition to his team, tweeting: "Mark my words these coaches will regret not turning! Coming on The Voice was an actual "Blessing".

Dudley College also shared their pride in their student, tweeting: "Will.i.am says: “You are Awesome” - we agree. So proud of our Dudley Sixth student Blessing. Go girl!