Singer-songwriter Stacey Jackson is helping aspiring musicians to land their big break.

Mrs Jackson, 40, has released her new album, Upside Down, with all profits going to Music For Youth (MFY), a leading charity that gives musically gifted children the opportunity to perform music to large audiences at festivals and concerts.

The album, a selection of Motown cover tracks, features performances from 30 MFY children. The MFY charity recently put on a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

A mother of four, Mrs Jackson tells People: “I was looking for a charity that I would have liked to have got involved with when I was in a band. Some of the kids are awesome and it’s great to be able to inspire and encourage them. The music business can be very discouraging and I wanted to give them a break to encourage them in their life of music.”

Born in Canada, Mrs Jackson has been singing for 25 years. She joined hard rock band ColdFront aged 15, before pursuing an 11-year career in television — but she continued to write, sing and perform.

She describes her style as “edgy. My influences were Lincoln Park and Creed. I’m very into grunge and post-grunge styled music”. She is now gearing up for the next round of MFY regional festivals, starting in February 2010. She also plans to plans to get a selection of well known British artists involved with future MFY albums, mentoring and running songwriting competitions.

Upside Down is available on iTunes.