A BARROW musician has become the star of one of television's most talked about reality tv shows.

Jack Hawitt, 30, impressed viewers with his heartfelt rendition of Ariana Grande's 'Into You' on Tuesday's episode of Love Island.

The Barrow-born artist had made the stripped-back cover specifically for the dating show hoping it would be played for a short segment.

However, the track was aired for more than two minutes during the emotional climax of the 60-minute episode.

Mr Hawitt, who gained hundreds of new followers after the airing, said he was 'absolutely over the moon' with the coverage.

He said: "I was not expecting this response whatsoever.

"I had been covering Ariana Grange songs during live shows and thought I'd make a cover specifically for Love Island.

"ITV told me they liked it and might be using it on an upcoming episode but I just thought this would be for a few seconds.

"I never expected to get the full two and a half minutes."

Following the episode, Mr Hawitt was bombarded with comments and messages about the featured song.

He said: "I'm actually currently performing on a cruise shop so couldn't watch the episode live but had loads of messages afterwards.

"I haven't actually released the song yet which is a blessing in disguise because so many people are asking who did this cover.

"I'm planning on releasing it in the next few weeks on my Spotify."

Mr Hawitt previously gained national publicity after appearing on ITV's The Voice in February.

After his performance, Mr Hawitt was inundated with local support.

He said: "Despite leaving Barrow ten years ago, the support from this town has been amazing.

"This has made me want to come back to Barrow and do a show over summer just to say thank you for all the support."

The singer-songwriter released his debut solo single 'Grow' in February and has joined forces with Norwegian artist NYAKI 'Dark Hotel' for his newest single.