Luke Yates is living the High Life, and planning to take the world by storm with his swanky made-in-New York music video.

This Whitehaven man’s dreams are coming true, after winning an online competition to fly to New York and film a music video for an updated version of his latest song, High Life, which was released in January.

Luke’s first song, Beautiful Mess, blew audiences away, hitting number 10 on the iTunes Charts, and being played over 50 times by various radio stations to over one million people around the UK. After the single was released in November of last year, Luke’s natural talent was noted by radio presenter Bob Harris, who labelled him "an absolutely superb songwriter”, and telling listeners of BBC Radio 2 that “Luke has many strings to his bow.”

The 28-year-old has been in The City that Never Sleeps for the past few weeks, visiting loved ones and preparing to shoot his Manhattan music video at the weekend.

When asked the obvious question of how he feels about winning the competition, over the hundreds of other artists who applied, Luke couldn’t contain his excitement, and said: “I feel incredible! It was hugely validating to know that my music had touched someone enough to offer me such a generous gift of time and passion.”

He continued, explaining the personal importance of High Life: “It’s the most honest song I’ve ever written. In the song, I openly share some of the darkest moments I’ve experienced.”

Although audiences and radio DJs shower him in praise, the humble Cumbria talent remains honest about himself and his downfalls, saying: “The song certainly doesn’t paint me in the best light. It’s brutally honest about my humaneness – the good, the bad, and the ugly. I feel vulnerable when I sing this song, it still cuts deep to a nerve that hasn’t completely healed yet. But in doing so, there’s also redemption, recovery, healing and hope.”

When he’s back in the UK, after winning over the world’s audiences, Luke will be releasing his EP in April and touring the country – beginning, of course, in his home county of Cumbria.

The brilliant singer-songwriter spoke of his thankfulness for being given the opportunity to do what he loves most in life, and how he feels about sharing his music and passion with others: “I’ve been so fortunate, and I feel eternally grateful to be able to travel the world and connect with people through this passion.”

He continued, commenting again on his amazing achievement of shooting a New York music video: “I’m thankful to be able to tell this story [of High Life] visually as well as audibly, and I hope that through it, I can connect with others who might have been in a similar place, reminding them they’re not alone.”

Luke’s music is available on Spotify and iTunes, and you can follow his story on Instagram at @lukesyatesmusic.