Celebrating the best of up-and-coming talent in Ireland, A New Local Hero is back – with East Coast FM having now unveiled their four finalists!

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 25 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions in recent months.

So, let's meet East Coast FM's shortlisted artists...

Ella Olsen:

Hailing from Aughrim, this young singer-songwriter has a bright future ahead of her – as she showcased with a performance of her original track ‘People Watching’, shared as part of the mentorship programme Music Generation.

Holly Smith:

Balancing her burgeoning musical career with her studies at East Glendalough School in Wicklow (where the aforementioned Ella is also a student!), Holly is a self-taught musician, who started playing guitar at the beginning of Covid-19.

Drying Weather:

Formed in late 2019, this alternative rock four-piece joined forces with producer Eoin Whitfield in recent years – releasing a series of lauded singles. It’s a promising taste of what to expect from their debut album, set to arrive this year.

The Monadnocks:

This duo from Bray features Tom and his daughter Lily. Having previously put his musical dreams on hold in order to raise a family, Tom’s new group allows him to revisit his craft, while also showcasing the talents of Lily as a brand new artist.

Each of the selected artists at this stage in the campaign will get a chance to play live on their station, and all of those artists – thanks to the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, under its Sound & Vision scheme – will be paid for their performance.

From there, the four finalists representing the station will be whittled down to one ‘Local Hero’ from each  – a major honour in itself, which will serve as a huge milestone in the careers of the selected 25 artists.

All of this leads to the national stage of the journey. From the 25 artists selected locally, an industry judging panel will choose just five acts to go forward to play at a special showcase event in Dublin.

The A New Local Hero campaign will ultimately see over  €100,000 paid directly to Irish artists – and one worthy winning act selected, who will get to record a single at the prestigious Camden Recording Studios in Dublin, and release the single on the famed Irish independent record label Rubyworks.

As announced by Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), Irish Music Month will run from Monday, March 12, to Friday, April 13 – and will see significantly increased radio play for Irish music across 25 independent radio stations.

Irish Music Month is supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, under its Sound & Vision scheme.

The event is also supported by IMRO, RAAP, MCD Productions, Live Nation, Ticketmaster, Camden Recording Studios and the Rubyworks label.

Read more about Irish Music Month here.