Bayviin, Aaron Carroll, Projective and Junah Smyth have been chosen as local finalists in the A New Local Hero national talent search - a key part of Irish Music Month which is set to kick off on 21 stations across Ireland on September 1st.

As one of the central features of Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero is a major call to arms for Irish musicians and bands – with all 21 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions in recent months. The excitement is rising, with a slew of announcements arriving over the next few days. Each of the acts selected by the stations will perform and be interviewed on their local station, with one act from each station going forward onto the long-list of contenders for the national A New Local Hero award.

Launched in 2021, Irish Music Month is an initiative of Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, and is funded by Coimisiún na Meán.

What Irish Music Month means, across participating independent stations, is:

– More Irish music song plays

– More Irish music artist mentions

– More Irish music features

– More Irish artist gig pushes

– More Irish artist interviews

And – what's more – we'll be putting over €100,000 into the hands of music makers and their crews across the country too.

Let's meet Cork's 96 FM's shortlisted artists...

Aaron Carroll:

This Cork-born singer-songwriter's roots seep deep into a variety of genres, blending classic acoustic sensibilities with passion for Hip Hop, which the artist discovered in his early 20s. Carroll's bouncy single 'You Can Shine' put his diverse breadth of influences front and centre, with driving guitar, tropical-sounding synths and an assertive rap verse culminating in a promisingly fresh debut track.

Aaron Carroll

Projective:

A diverse pool of musicians and writers based in the Rebel City, the 7-piece have crafted a unique repertoire of original music, fusing RnB, Neo-Soul, Jazz and Hip-Hop. They comfortably sold out a debut show at the Cork Opera House's Green Room and have performed at a variety of sought gigs events across the nation, including Chamomile Garden and their own city's fabled Jazz festival. Complex, infectious and groovy all in one.

Projective

Junah Smyth:

Hailing from Skibbereen, this writer and producer developed a fondness for heart-rending piano ballads at a young age. Combined with a love for live performance which they matured via numerous shows around their native West Cork, as well as an impressive and ever-growing list of production credits for other budding artists, and you've got one seriously talented Local Hero contender.

Junah Smyth

Bayviin

Often seen taking to the stage with her watertight four-piece band, this 21-year-old cites the likes of Florence Welch, London Grammar and The Last Dinner Party as some of her leading influences. These eclectic sources of inspiration are present in her debut single 'All or Nothing', which showcased the singer-songwriter's ability to merge emotive lyrics and lush harmonies to form enviably sweet-sounding arrangements.

Irish Music Month is also supported by IMRO, RAAP, Live Nation, Rubyworks and Camden Recording Studios.

See the full list of participating radio stations below:

Clare FM
Classic Hits
Cork's 96FM
East Coast FM
FM104
Galway Bay Fm
Highland Radio
KCLR
KFM
Limerick Live 95FM
LMFM
Midlands 103
MidWest Radio
Northern Sound
Ocean FM
Radio Kerry
Radio Nova
Shannonside
South-East Radio
Tipp FM
WLR FM

• Irish Music Month - Irish Radio Supporting Artists - in association with IBI, Hot Press & Coimisiún na Meán's Sound & Vision Scheme, funded by the Television License Fee.

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