Australian music has been punching well above its weight both locally and on the world stage over the past twelve months, with the rise of A-Pop in America, and the incredible year independent music has been having at home, just two examples of Aussie success.
Now there’s proof that Australia’s unsigned musicians are among the world’s best, with a number of local musks scoring well in the US-based international Unsigned Only competition, with one First Place, two Second Places and a whole stack of Honorable Mentions.
The competition is open to all artists who are not signed to a major label record company and/or its affiliates or subsidiaries, and the judges included John Oates of Hall & Oates, Neon Trees, Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC, Of Monsters and Men, Black Francis of The Pixies, G. Love and Alt-J.
Winning First Place in the Teen category with her song “Move” is the talented 17 year-old pop artist Lili Kendall from Brisbane. With the pipes of Adele and the edge of Rihanna, it is obvious why Lili’s star is on the rise. After a breakthrough first half to 2014, highlighted by international tour dates and a swarm of press, her newest single “Run” was recently delivered to Australian radio and is available now. She has also performed in LA and was a featured Australian artist at Canadian Music Week in Toronto.
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Garnering Second Place in the Vocal Performance category is Australia’s Got Talent finalist and vocalist Liam Burrows. Video of his audition on the television show has had nearly 2 million views on YouTube, winning a large fan base with his mature vocal style and stage presence that is way beyond his 20 years of age.
Taking home Second Place honors in the Americana category is Gena Rose Bruce for her song “Jackson.” A 21 year-old singer/songwriter, she was born and raised in Melbourne’s eastern heartland. In addition to national tours with artists such as Ella Hooper, she has also travelled the world, including trips to New Zealand and the iconic music centre Nashville, where she performed in 2013 at the legendary Bluebird Cafe and The Basement. During this time, Bruce completed songwriting sessions with prominent Nashville musicians, Kim Richie and Neilson Hubbard.
“We are very pleased that these young artists fared so well in the competition, although it is certainly no surprise to us,” co-Founders Candace Avery and Jim Morgan said. “The depth and diversity of talent coming from Australia is exceptionally high, and it continues to set the bar for the competition. We are looking forward to hearing next year’s Aussie entrants.”
The overall Grand Prize winner is awarded to the US band Goodbye June for their song “Daisy.” Comprised of three cousins, indie-rockers Goodbye June released their highly anticipated debut album Nor The Wild Music Flow in 2012 and have not stopped since. With a European tour under their belt and a second album on the way, this band is poised for greater success. Their winning song “Daisy” is a surefire hit and will be released on their upcoming album.
In addition to winning $10,000 in cash and much more in merchandise, the Grand Prize winner receives the opportunity to be mentored by and directly network with the top echelon of record company professionals. Mentors include presidents and top-level executives from Universal Republic, Sire, Elektra, Warner Bros., Atlantic, Sub Pop, Big Machine, Word Label Group, Capitol, Roc Nation, American, and Virgin.
In addition to these First and Second Place winners, the list of Australian Honorable Mentions is as follows:
Adult Album Alternative (AAA)
The Never Ever (Sydney, NSW, Australia) – “In Or Out”
Adult Contemporary
Worldfly (Darwin, NT, Australia) – “Please Go Lightly”
Country
Casey Barnes (Kingscliff, NSW, Australia) – “Flesh And Bone”
Pop/Top 40
Alkira (Melbourne, VIC, Australia) – “Undone”
Fieu (Brisbane, QLD, Australia) – “Put It On The Line”
Ginger And The Ghost (Sydney, NSW, Australia) – Call Up The Whales”
Lili Kendall (Brisbane, QLD, Australia) – “Move”
Rock
Kid Zeus (Sydney, NSW, Australia) – “Rabbit Suit”
Talltails (Gold Coast, QLD, Australia) – “The Long Arm”
Veludo (Melbourne, VIC, Australia) – “Indigo”
Teen
Straalen (Gold Coast, QLD, Australia) – “1-2-3”
Vocal Performance
Alex Hahn & The Blue Riders (Sydney, NSW, Australia) – “I’d Rather Go Blind”
Liam Burrows (Sydney, NSW, Australia) – “Never Fallen In Love So Easily Before”
Sophie Hanlon (Sydney, NSW, Australia) – “My Dark Crusade”
