'Getting my song on FC 25 is a dream come true'

Teenage singer-songwriter Alex Spencer shares the same dream as many new artists, of one day headlining festivals alongside the biggest names in music.

And while he is still working towards that aim in the real world, in a virtual sense, that ambition has come true.

The 17-year-old student's "silly little song" Nightmares has been included alongside the likes of Coldplay, Billie Eilish and Kasabian on the soundtrack of one of the country's best-selling video games, FC 25.

He said it had seen his streaming numbers rise from about 8,000 a month to about 45,000, which had left him "buzzing".

FC 25, which came out in September, is the latest instalment of EA Sports' hugely popular football simulation.

Previous editions of the game have sold millions of copies.

Alex, from Droylsden in Greater Manchester, said he got the call that it was going to be featured on the game's soundtrack when he was on the bus, and literally "jumped up in excitement".

He said it was "a dream come true" and the "best marketing" he could ask for.

"A silly little song that I wrote is reaching out to all these people, it's what you want isn't it?," he said.

Alex said he hoped to build on the success of the song and his recent live dates, which have seen him take in well-known venues such as Sheffield's Leadmill and Birmingham's Glee Club alongside the likes of The Lathums, Jamie Webster and Miles Kane.

Being bilingual, thanks to his Barcelona-born mother, he has also performed for Manchester City's Pep Guardiola and his team and in Spanish for a visiting delegation of Real Madrid officials.

"The dream now is just to be selling out tours," he said.

"I want to hit that radio play [and] Radio 1.

"I guess when the debut album comes around, I want to be charting around top 10s [and] hitting the festivals.

"I think with a bit more hard work [and] a couple of years meeting new people, I'll be building that fan base and headlining in Glastonbury one day."

With such high ambitions, he has little time for relaxing, but he said even when he has, he would not be found playing the game that has given him his first taste of the big time.

"I've never been allowed a console," he said.

"Mum's rules.

"That's what's kept me on with my music."