Mia Black, Aimee Cuffe, The Halez and K Muni & ND  have been announced 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 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.

It's time to meet East Coast FM's shortlisted artists...

K Muni & ND

A Longford Town rap pairing with almost six years experience working together, they released their debut project Welcome to Longford in 2022. It very much brought the attitudes and sounds of London hip-hop to the midlands, with bass-laden drill beats providing the foundation for the duo's sharp bars and observations. Their talents didn't go unnoticed, as K Muni and ND were shortlisted to represent Ireland at Eurovision in 2023 with their vibrant banger 'Down In The Rain', before taking to the stage to Electric Picnic later that year. Get to know.

K Muni and ND.

The Halez:

Pronounced as 'the hails', this Roscommon rock four-piece were birthed during the Covid-19 lockdown, with frontman Kieran Murphy professing a desire to bring back what he describes as "some much needed quality homegrown Irish music." Eamon O'Toole and Jerome and Cormac Sheerin joined the ranks, and the band got straight to it as soon as restrictions were lifted - with their music quickly catching the attention of Grammy-nominated Corrs, Hozier and Westlife producer Billy Farrell. After listening to their so-far released batch of '90s-flavoured, radio-ready rock tunes, it's easy to see why.

The Halez (Photo: Facebook).

Aimee Cuffe:

A Mayo native blending raw honesty, enchanting vocals and ear-worm melodies, this rising indie act cites the modern emotive pop of acts like Holly Humberstone and Maggie Rogers as core inspirations for her work. Her couple of hitherto released sweet-sounding singles 'Don't Forget' and 'Before We Were Us' have pricked the ears of numerous tastemakers, including Hot Press. With another track and a highly-anticipated EP lined up for the tail-end of 2024, Cuffe is a small town artist destined for big things.

Aimee Cuffe

Mia Black:

The granddaughter of  '70s showband star Gerry Black, this very talented 17-year-old grew up steeped in music. Starting out as a busker in the street-performance mecca of Galway a few years ago, the youngster swiftly became a hit on social media and boasts over one hundred thousand followers on YouTube. Equally comfortable lending her earth-shattering vocals to classic covers or her own polished material, Black has also recorded with 'YouTube's most-followed American Band' Boyce Avenue. A star in the making.

Mia Black

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.