A WOODFORD Green singer is hoping viewers will be making their minds up to choose his band to represent the UK in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

The band called FourStory have been tipped for stardom by ex-Boyzone member Shane Lynch, but are facing stiff competition in the Eurovision UK heats against former Hearsay band member Kym Marsh and former Blue singer Antony Costa.

They will take to the stage on Friday, March 4 when they compete in the BBC1 programme Making Your Mind Up, during which the nation gets to choose which act will make it to Athens.

Rodney Williams, 23, who grew up in Leytonstone but now lives in Woodford Green, met the other three members through their passion for music.

Band members Mark Brightman, Tony Thompson and Ben Ofoedu all grew up in the London area too.

Rodney said: "I have always loved singing, even when I used to DJ in the Wanstead youth clubs. That's how I met Mark and he introduced me to the others."

After attending Tom Hood Secondary School in Leytonstone, Rodney studied briefly at West Ham College to become an electrician but left to devote more time to pursuing a music career.

The ambitious singer has loved performing and singing since he was a child, and received inspiration from the Motown greats. "I grew up listening to Motown; my parents played a lot of Marvin Gaye and Barry White," said Rodney.

After deciding that the electrical trade was not for him, Rodney contacted Mark who had been producing a solo album for Shane Lynch and in 2001 along with Ben and Mark, Rodney and Shane formed a group called REDhill.

They were never signed and in 2002 they separated leaving Ben, Rodney and Mark still hungry for stardom. Tony joined the trio to form FourStory in late 2003.

The quartet are overjoyed at receiving the backing of Shane Lynch who has described FourStory as a "cross between Boys II Men and Backstreet Boys."

Rodney said: "Shane is an amazing person. He has been like a mentor, giving us good advice when things get too much. He stops us worrying, saying our passion for the music will shine through."

The band's debut single Hand on My Heart is released on March 6 and will be the track the band hope to perform at the Eurovision if they win the UK heats.

"I feel really blessed to have a chance to enter this year's Eurovision. It really is going to be an amazing year," said Rodney. "It was the first track we recorded as a band and it was a magical moment for all of us."

The album titled Tributes and Tribulations is out on March 20, and was produced by Andy Wright who has worked with legends such as Simply Red and the Eurythmics.

It is described by Rodney as a "collaboration of tracks in tribute to our childhood heroes, the people we all grew up listening to."

Rodney came a step closer to achieving his musical dreams when FourStory appeared on Top of the Pops on Friday. He said: "It was definitely a dream come true. It's something everyone watches when growing up. It's a kind of stamp of approval saying you've made it, or you're at least half the way there."

The band also recently supported Tony Christie at the Albert Hall. Rodney said: "We are so lucky, it was our first performance and it was such an amazing venue, the acoustics are great and we were doing what we enjoy as a band, playing live."

Whatever the result of next month's Making Your Mind Up show, FourStory have plans for a tour in March. Rodney said: "We want to do something different, maybe a Starbucks or Pizza Express tour, or something more personal and intimate."