Asophonics, Charlotte Mackey, Sitting Room and The Southern Fold have picked out 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.

Without further ado, let's meet KCLR 96 FM's shortlisted artists...

Charlotte Mackey:

A young artist with a radio-ready voice, this Kilkenny singer-songwriter has enjoyed some top experiences so far in her budding career, having graced the stage of the semi-finals of Junior Eurovision - where she performed a powerful rendition of JP Cooper's 'September Song' as Gaeilge. Making strides in achieving her dream of following in the footsteps of the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele and Whitney Houston, it's no wonder why Mackey has been on the radar at KCLR for quite some time.

Charlotte Mackey performing on Junior Eurovision. (Photo:YouTube).

Sitting Room:

An all-female indie-pop outfit hailing from Carlow, this sweet-sounding three-piece take their name from the room where they spend most of their time having fun and writing songs together. Consisting of Emily Mulhall, Aoife Mulhall and Ava Whelan, they're well capable of performing outside of the house too, and are often seen busking around Kilkenny City. Excellently produced singles ‘Sun and Moon’ and Bridges’ showcase a healthy mix of romantic sounding, '90s-style arrangements topped off by heavenly vocals. A potential power-trio in the making.

Sitting Room (Screenshot: @sittingroom_ on Instagram)

The Southern Fold:

Formed by Kilkenny's Emlyn Holden in 2014, this outfit have taken their Gothic country all over Ireland and the UK, releasing their debut album Bible Fear in 2019 before a pandemic-induced hiatus. After finally making an overdue return to the live circuit last year, they dropped single 'Nothing to Fear', which showcased their tuneful knack of combining sweet HamSandwich-type vocal harmonies with the folky storytelling of Jason Isbell.

The Southern Fold (Screenshot: puremszine.com)

Asophonics:

Spearheaded by Aaron Thompson and Sophia Jones, this duo take open tuned guitars and thumping drums to create a blend of folk rock, shoegaze and indie pop. Since their late 2023 inception they've made a splash on the local music scene opening for Award winning Irish representatives, Encore at the International Pan Celtic festival. They also sold out their debut headline concert at Youngblood Sessions 14 in Carlow Town's Scraggs Alley. Much greater than the sum of their parts.

Asophonics