A nine-year-old singer has been given a £500,000 record deal.

Declan Galbraith will feature on a Christmas CD alongside his idols Westlife.

Record executives at Telstar also have plans for Declan to release his first single.

Declan, who lives near Rochester, Kent, recently sang Aled Jones's hit Walking In The Air on GMTV.

He told the Mirror: "I am so excited - it's all like a dream. The last few weeks have been amazing.

"I saw Westlife in concert in June and now I'm on the same CD. It's fantastic seeing my name alongside theirs."

Declan was performing at a local talent contest when he was spotted by songwriter Barry Nathan, who penned Tom Jones's huge hit Delilah.

A Telstar spokesman said: "We believe Declan has a special talent."