At just 17, you can add Sidney Dominici to the list of young musicians in the Fresno area with a bright future ahead of her. The latest honor for Dominici -- a senior in high school and a student of vocal coach Astrid Plane -- is that she's one of six winners of The Big Fresno Fair's Local Performer Contest. The online contest gave local musicians the opportunity to submit videos for a chance to perform at the fair. Votes determined six winners.

Dominici, along with White Glove Service, Soul Intact, Mercury Bullet, Nowhere Near and Trey Tosh, will perform at the fair Thursday on the Pavilion Stage. Dominici starts the concert at 5 p.m. A new act starts every hour.

We talked to Dominici about her beginnings in music, how YouTube helped her and where you can see her perform.

How did you first start singing? I started to take an interest in learning covers of my favorite songs in junior high. So I learned them on the guitar first, then sang to them eventually. At first it was just for fun.

Describe your style of music. Who are your influences? Most would describe me as "indie pop," but I feel like I'm still developing as an artist into a genre. I listen to a variety of music, but the artists that have influenced me the most would probably be U2 and Avril Lavigne.

Like a growing number of young artists, you've made good use of YouTube. How has it helped you career? It's helped me reach a large amount of people in a short amount of time. Being able to share your music with someone who lives in another country is awesome! YouTube helps build a fan base from all over, not just locally.

It seems like you've already landed some good gigs locally, but you're still in high school. How do you balance the two? It's difficult at times, but I have an awesome support system. There are times when I feel overwhelmed, but I never feel stressed or burned-out. Someone is always there to help me, and that's the key element in finding balance between music and school.

How much of an honor is it to be one of the winners of the fair's Local Performer Contest? It is a tremendous honor. The fair was something I had my hopes on and now to know I'm playing there Oct. 4 is mind-blowing and super exciting.

Besides the fair, where else are you performing soon? Sequoia Brewing Company on Oct. 18 would be the next booking after the fair. Groggs Irish Pub, Downtown Galleria and Engelmann Cellars are also following on my calendar.

What music do you have available for purchase/download? What's in the works? My debut CD, titled "Something We All Got," is available for purchase at all my shows. We are currently in the process of having it available through iTunes, which should be finalized in the coming weeks.

If you could play an opening show for one artist, who would it be and why? Probably U2 for multiple reasons. One they're absolutely incredible, two they're one of the only bands that have stuck with me throughout my whole life, and their songs reach an emotional spot with listeners unlike any other.

For music and more: Go to youtube.com/sidneydominici, reverbnation.com/sidneydominici, soundcloud.com/sidney-dominici. Look for her on Facebook, on Instagram as sidneydominici and on Twitter as @everpassion80.

Know a local musician more people should be familiar with? Send details to Mike Osegueda, mosegueda@fresnobee.com.