Supporting Irish Musicians and Artists

Next up in our coverage of A New Local Hero, we're heading to Limerick – where Live 95 have declared rising star Michelle Grimes as their overall winner.

This pop star has been steadily building up her profile in recent years – following an appearance on the Hot Press Y&E Series, and growing comparisons to the iconic likes of Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa. Her debut EP arrives this Friday.

The other talented finalists selected by Live 95 included Chris Ward, Michael Andrews and Shafto.

Each finalist got the chance to play live on Live 95, with all of the artists – thanks to the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, under its Sound & Vision scheme – being paid for their performance.

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 as part of the talent search.

25 acts, including Michelle, have been selected as their radio station's A New Local Hero. Now, an industry judging panel will choose just five of those 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 is running 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.