A MUTE teenager who went on to find his voice through song after nearly 15 years locked in silence has released his debut album.

Nathan Carpenter was just three when he was diagnosed with selective mutism, a disorder which left him unable to communicate at school or in public - and put his ambition of becoming a professional singer in serious jeopardy.

Now the 18-year-old is a step closer to his dream of performing around the world after recording 10:2 Midnight.

“Something just clicked when I got in the recording studio,” said the youngster, of Jefferies Avenue.

“I struggled a little at the beginning, but then everything just seemed to go away.”

Nathan’s struggle began at nursery school. Usually a boisterous little boy, barely giving his parents a chance to get a word in edgeways, he started to clam up from the moment he reached the school gate.

“It was really frustrating,” said the New College student. “My mouth opened and nothing would come out. My body wouldn’t let me. It would stop me. So I just gave up.

“The worst part was that I couldn’t explain it. I knew selective mutism was caused by anxiety and stress. But I still felt in the dark. I didn’t know why I couldn’t speak to some people.

“It was harder with the teachers than the pupils. I couldn’t talk to them. I felt misunderstood by them. They were pushing me to talk.

“I felt under pressure. I couldn’t drink or eat in front of anyone.

“At home, with my family, I was fine, but I couldn’t speak past the school gate.”

In 2013, he took his courage with both hands and auditioned for amateur drama group Stage Struck. While the thought of striking up a conversation with a stranger was unimaginable, performing to a full auditorium could not have come more naturally.

“It was liberating,” he said. “I could finally speak. Going to Stage Struck was the push I needed.”

Less than a year later, he entered the national Open Mic competition. Although he narrowly missed out on a spot in the final at the 02 Arena in London, he was scouted by River Studios in Southampton, where he wrote and recorded his album.

“After the competition in November 2014 I just went back to normal life,” he said. “I kept waiting, hoping something would happen.

“And then I just had this email from River Studios on Christmas Eve saying they wanted me to meet up with their general manager about their development programme. I wasn’t sure they were real so I Googled them, just to make sure. It was too good to be true but I said yes of course.”

10:2 Midnight, his intimate classic rock album, is now available on Amazon and the iTunes store. The release was a huge personal achievement for Nathan. But he is fully aware that pushing his career to the next level will be no easy task with the shadow of selective mutism still hanging over him.

“I hope eventually selective mutism will go away or get to a point where it will just be hard withsmall things like answering the phone,” he said.

“But it’s easier every day. I’ve gone over that first hurdle. I did it when people told me I couldn’t. All I know is that I couldn’t live without singing now.”