Supporting Irish Musicians and Artists

Next up in our A New Local Hero search, we're heading Louth and Meath - where the lovely LMFM have announced their four finalists. The talent search is heating up...

As one of the central features of Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero competition 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.

Without further ado, let's meet LMFM's shortlisted artists...

Negro Impacto:

Following the release of their brilliant self-titled EP, Hot Press tipped this Dundalk duo as ‘Hot For 2022’. They’ve since clocked up impressive live performances, and an appearance on All City’s This Way Vol. 1 compilation – with even more big things to come.

Credit - Issey Goold.

Cíona Kelly:

Based in Co. Monaghan, this rising star has already impressed with a series of captivating covers and performances of original tracks online – and, alongside her sister Ríbh, was named runner-up on TG4’s family talent show, Réalta agus Gaolta.

Yasmin Hughes:

With over 27,000 likes on TikTok, the singer-songwriter first made her mark last year, with ‘Be Good To Me’. Her new track, ‘Jason’, draws inspiration from Dolly Parton’s classic ‘Jolene’.

Eoghan McGeough:

Currently studying at BIMM Dublin, the Dundalk artist is influenced by icons like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell – specialising in reflective, introspective music that pays no heed to the pop charts.

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.