“I was amazed and relieved. I never really saw myself as a winner.”

But the truth is that Calum Agnew was – and is truly deserving of the title A New Local Hero. The Duleek native was LMFM’s pick, and – pinstripe suit and full band in tow – he powered into a magnificent set that won hearts and minds on the night.

Since then, the soul-pop artist has released a debut EP, supported bands like The Coronas, appeared at festivals, and sold-out his own headline shows. The talent was always there, but the competition gave Calum the platform he needed.

“I couldn’t imagine my position as a musician now without it,” he says. “The people at LMFM obviously felt I was fit to represent them, which was really reassuring as an artist. My friends would tell me, ‘Oh, the radio was on in the car today, they played your song!’ In fact, I still get radio play from ‘Anymore’, which is great, and receiving payment through IMRO is amazing too.

“An initiative like this makes it more achievable for an independent artist to make a living wage. We’re such a small population and we have such talent. Sometimes the major labels might be pushing their international acts, but during this month it’s an opportunity to balance that up.”

On the morning of the final, Calum, as part of Irish Music Month, was involved in some invaluable mentoring sessions.

“We were all put in groups,” he recalls. “There were representatives from Rubyworks and Cian Boylan from Camden was there, along with journalists and people from radio. It was amazing to get different insights into the Irish music industry and the way to go about things.

“It was great that artists could come together and appreciate the struggles of being independent in Ireland, because it is a tough industry to navigate. You appreciate that everyone’s in the same boat. It’s less lonely.

“My advice is to go with the mindset of wanting to gain experience with other artists through the process and get some mentoring as well.”

In all, €100,000 goes to up-and-coming Irish artists through Irish Music Month. Everyone on the showcase bill gets paid, no small thing for a solo artist with a band to support.

“It can be a struggle actually making a band feel appreciated,” he notes. “I think the band deserved it. They’re very talented musicians!”

The prize took Calum to Camden Studios to record his single ‘Anymore’ with acclaimed producer Cian Boylan, whose credits include Sinéad O’Connor and Van Morrison. The song also received mastering from the Grammy-winning Ruairi Cushnan of Spéir Mix & Mastering and was released via the Rubyworks label.

“Camden’s such an incredible studio with amazing equipment, and Cian is a genius,” Calum beams. “We were using a Steinway to record the piano parts; there was a Hammond organ. My guitarist was having the time of his life, looking at all these different guitars.

“Cian was very in tune with what could be done to make the song stand out a bit more. We’d play him the song, and he’d just orally write down all the chords, which I thought was crazy.”
Building a track for a label release was its own education.

“There were different aspects that I needed to think about, such as how long the song needed to be for radio play. But it came out exactly as I wanted it.”

As the overall winner, Calum received €5,000, which went straight into his music.

“I finished my EP recording with the prize money,” he says. “That was always my goal, just having a body of work out there. I come across people at gigs and festivals asking me for new music, and I’m able to tell them, ‘Well, I have a full EP out.’”

A New Local Hero is also about the connections you make on the way, whether with fellow artists or music industry figures.

“I met my manager, who was working with Rubyworks when we were putting the single together. I wouldn’t be in the same place I am today without that connection.”

• Calum Agnew’s latest EP Bad Boy is out now.