As Mylah Sams pulled back her hair and slipped her microphone on, she was filled with a mix of excitement and nerves for her first ever Star Struck as a featured performer.
"I can't believe I got a solo, I was like 'oh my god'," she said.
"I was happy with anything, but I am really excited for this."
The year 7 Hunter Sports High School student was one of more than 4500 public school students from the Hunter and the Central Coast taking to the stage for 34th year of Star Struck.
Students from more than 150 schools will sing, dance, and play their instruments at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre across four performances on June 12 and June 13.
It was Ms Sams' second year of being in Star Struck, but her first time as a featured singer.
Singing since she was three years old, she said she was excited to perform Purple People Eater and Hip to be Square.
"It is just so fun and you get to express yourself in so many different ways," she said.
"This year is a really fun theme and I love all the songs."
This year's theme, Out of the Ordinary, was intended to celebrate individuality, imagination, courage and creativity.
Operations manager Casey Smith said the annual production was a powerful celebration of public education and the arts.
"For many students, Star Struck is far more than a performance opportunity, it is a chance to build confidence, friendships, creativity and a lifelong connection to the arts," she said.
"The production would not be possible without the incredible support of schools, teachers, families, volunteers and sponsors."
Year 10 Whitebridge High School student Sienna Egan had been in the choir and a backing vocalist for the past two years, and was a featured artist this year.
"I'm really excited because it's my first year being a featured artist and it is just an amazing experience," she said.
"It's very nerve-wracking because there's a lot of people coming to watch.
As an Indigenous woman, she was most looking forward to the Indigenous performance with the song Magnetic.
She was also performing UFO and Express Yourself later in the show.
"It's the Indigenous song of the show and it's so much fun to sing," she said.
She said the show was a lot of fun and everyone felt like a big family.
"It gives us a really big performance opportunity because there's not many around that allows people to perform to massive, sold-out crowds," she said.
