Supporting Irish Musicians and Artists

Next up in our A New Local Hero search, we're heading to capital – where Spin 1038 have announced 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 Spin 1038's shortlisted artists...

Simon James:

He cut his teeth at the tender age of six alongside Cate Blanchett in Veronica Guerin, but has been releasing music since 2018. Listen to the Dubliner’s new single ’27’ now.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon James (@simonjamesofficial)

Eva Campbell:

Raised in Skerries, young musician Eva Campbell has already been carving a name for herself on the pop boulevard with appearances on the Late Late Toy Show, Junior Eurovision and The Voice UK in 2019.

Kaya T:

The Dublin singer-songwriter is releasing a blistering new R&B/pop single, 'Insincere', leaning on Ariana Grande and Charlie Puth for inspiration.

2Storeys:

Rapper, singer-songwriter and screenwriter (yes, you read that right) Paul Ritchie is now performing under the 2Storeys moniker. Ritchie will release not one but two albums this August: Out of the Darkness and Into the Light.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 2Storeys 🇮🇪 (@2.storeys)

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.