Castlemaine’s KIAN has undoubtedly just wrapped up a day of school he’ll look back on fondly, with the young muso being crowned triple j’s Unearthed High winner for 2018.
Back in June, triple j put out their annual call for Unearthed High musicians, and as always, they received a huge amount of entrants. After some careful deliberation, the station introduced us last week to their Class of 2018, which would see one artist go on to be crowned this year’s Unearthed High winner.
Hitting up Castlemaine Secondary College in Victoria today, triple j’s Ben and Liam surprised the young muso, appearing as local firefighters during a fire drill to announce the good news.
Having submitted ‘Waiting’ to the Unearthed High comp, triple j noted that KIAN’s track packed “emotional punch, just like ur crush,” while noting that the artist features “sky high potential”.
Of course, KIAN is breaking new ground with this win, being the first act to win the comp after having already featured in a Hottest 100 countdown. Yes, if you thought the name sounds familiar, that’s because Kian came to prominence last year when he scored a feature spot of Baker Boy’s breakthrough single ‘Cloud 9’.
“It’s a near impossible task to separate the five finalists in 2018’s Unearthed High, all of whom would make worthy recipients of the crown,” explained triple j Unearthed Music Director Dave Ruby Howe.
“In the end though, KIAN stood out the strongest this year, emerging as one of the most promising voices in the country – high school aged and otherwise. It feels like just the beginning of this young artist’s story.”
As is tradition, KIAN is now set to fly to head to the triple j studios to record, mix, and master some new tunes. He’s also set to receive an Aussie music mentor who will help to provide all the guidance needed in regards to navigating this new and exciting world of musical success.
Check out KIAN’s winning track, ‘Waiting’, below, and if you’re keen on seeing this young muso live, be sure to head along to his debut solo show later this month.
Check out KIAN’s ‘Waiting’:
KIAN’s Debut Solo Performance:
Saturday, August 25th
Theatre Royal, Castlemaine, VIC
Tickets: Oztix
