JAMES BAY
For as much as James Bay upholds traditions of timeless songcraft, the UK singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer also confidently challenges himself and popular music. He spikes a tried-and-true style with clever lyricism, honest confessions, and instrumental proficiency. On the heels of his No.1 triple platinum- certified 2015 debut Chaos And The Calm, he won a Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist and garnered GRAMMY® nods in the categories of “Best New Artist,” “Best Rock Album,” and “Best Rock Song” for the gold-selling single “Hold Back The River.” Meanwhile, “Let It Go” went triple-platinum and has been streamed over 2.5million times. Nominated for dozens of awards, he’s taken home two BRIT Awards, two Q Awards, GQ award and top honors at the Ivor Novello Awards.
Tallying nearly a total of 7.5 billion streams to date, James Bay has notably dueted with numerous musical icons including being asked to join Mick Jagger while supporting The Rolling Stones at Twickenham Stadium in London, and Ronnie Wood joined James on stage at his own sold-out Brixton shows. As the one the world’s best guitarists, Epiphone honoured him with his own Limited-Edition James Bay Signature “1966” guitar.
MATT CORBY
Matt Corby has had a big year in 2023 with an Australian tour for his album, Everything’s Fine. His first album in five years, Everything’s Fine vividly captures the personal and creative growth of Matt Corby who, like many, was tipped belly side up recently. Beyond the global touring pause, on the day he had planned to begin writing his next album Matt’s home was inundated with floodwaters. His family moved into Rainbow Valley Studios, where he juggled familial responsibilities with his creative pursuits - a one-of-a-kind pressure cooker circumstance that would galvanise his artistic evolution.
Firmly fixed on seeing the best of things, Matt reveals “I'm at a really beautiful point in my life. I'm accepting all this stuff: the good and the bad, but particularly the bad. Which is kind of great. It’s a good thing to come to that point. Life isn't always magical, but the moments that are, well you really value them. I think this record is about that, about managing your actual reality. Sometimes I have those moments when you realise: well I'm still breathing, you still have the gift of life, so everything is fine I guess?”
ZIGGY ALBERTS
Ziggy Alberts, an Australian singer-songwriter and author, has captivated audiences worldwide with his authentic lyrics, folk-pop melodies and an upbeat energy that shines in his solo-act, acoustic live performances. Alberts has firmly established himself as a leading Australian independent artist through his compelling grassroots journey, culminating in forming his independent label, Commonfolk Records; and book publishing house, Commonfolk Publishing. Ziggy's narrative unfolds on his terms, reflected in his latest records, 'searching for freedom' and 'DANCING IN THE DARK’ - testaments to his artistic growth and expressive lyrics showcasing global themes of adventure, courage and connection.
Ziggy Alberts continues to earn critical acclaim with 'Laps Around the Sun' proudly ARIA Double Platinum Certified, while 'Gone,' 'Runaway,' ‘Heaven’, ‘Stronger’, 'Love Me Now', ‘Simple Things’, ‘Days In The Sun’ and ‘EP Four Feet In The Forest’ have achieved ARIA Platinum Certification. He has also received Gold Certifications for his ‘Laps Around The Sun’ album and a further six tracks in his catalogue. Alberts has also received an APRA Music Award for Most Performed Blues & Roots Work for his track 'Letting Go'. 2024 is shaping up to be a landmark year for Ziggy Alberts, fuelled by the momentum of his international touring, compelling storytelling abilities and continued authentic connection with his audience which defines his music.
THELMA PLUM
Thelma Plum is a 24-year-old Gamilaraay woman, musician and creator. She grew up in Brisbane and spent many of her childhood years on her Grandparents’ farm in Delungra, a small country town in rural New South Wales. She has been making music for her whole life, but hasn’t always been ready to share her story, until now. Thelma Plum’s debut album Better In Blak is a story about culture, heritage, love, and pain. With incredible strength, courage and heartbreaking tenderness, her debut album captures so deftly what it’s like to be a young Aboriginal woman in Australia. Since releasing her 2014 EP Monsters, Thelma has been through a lot. “On this album I speak about how it feels being an Aboriginal woman in this country. When I was younger I wasn’t ready to share this side of me, but I’ve grown a lot in the past few years and that’s changed,” says Thelma.
And amongst all of that, Thelma Plum manages to find time to make you want to dance, laugh and cry. Singles like ‘Not Angry Anymore’ and the album’s opener ‘Clumsy Love’ (#79 in triple j’s Hottest 100) are certified pop hits, while ‘Love and War’ (featuring Gang of Youths’ Dave Le’Aupepe) was written the about the events at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre. The Better In Blak album has everything from intimate moments to ferociously honest break up songs.
KITA ALEXANDER
Hailing from Northern NSW, celebrated indie-pop singer/song-writer Kita Alexander is one of Australia’s favourite indie pop girls. Now with over 137 million global streams under her belt, an impressive catalogue of critically acclaimed pop-anthems including 2 ARIA Gold singles (“Damage Done” and “Like You Want To”), ARIA Platinum “Between You & I” and the 2x ARIA Platinum single “Hotel”, 3 EPs and not to mention countless adoring fans around the globe, Kita is gearing up into 2023 with a tonne of new music and a run of live shows.
MIA WRAY
Thanks to a belter of a voice, no holds barred lyrics and endless charisma, Melbourne artist Mia Wray’s star is on a rapid rise. Mia Wray has gone on to become one of Australia’s most highly acclaimed emerging artists. Five singles and a debut EP in, Mia has graced playlist covers, had her singles added to high rotation on triple j, toured alongside the likes of The Rubens and Vance Joy and performed on national TV several times over. Mia entered the global arena in 2021 which included her debut headline show in the UK and resulted in an invite to the Great Escape Festival as part of its First 50. Mia celebrated the EP release on triple j’s Like A Version, performing a joyous rendition of MUNA’s ‘Silk Chiffon’ alongside a no-holds-barred performance of ‘Stay Awake’. Mia embarked on her first national headline tour to celebrate the EP release and more recently joined Maisie Peters on her sold out European tour.