There was brilliant news for the Waterford artist Carrie Baxter this afternoon when it was announced that she's been whittled down to the final five in the running for A New Local Hero Award, held as part of Irish Music Month.
Carrie beat off stiff competition to be the Waterford winner of the Local Hero Search in October for her song You, which put her into the national competition.
What happens next?
The five national finalists will perform at The Academy in Dublin on Thursday November 18th, in front of a judging panel and a live audience. The overall winner will be announced on the night.
The five finalists are:
Carrie Baxter (WLR)
Chameleon (98FM)
Fintan McKahey (96FM)
Leah Moran (Spin 1038)
Mia Yermeche (FM104).
Tickets for that gig will be made available later.
Prize for the overall winner
The winner of the A New Local Hero Award gets €5,000 in cash, as well as €5,000 worth of music equipment. They will also have the chance to record a song at Rubyworks studios in Dublin.
In addition the winning song is guaranteed airplay across all IBI radio stations.
More about Carrie Baxter
Carrie Baxter is one of the most thrilling voices in the Irish music scene right now. Hailing from Waterford City, she is independently forging a career out of her unique vocal tones and her versatile songwriting abilities that can cross from Motown to 90s club tracks and back again.
2021 sees Carrie head out on her first headline tour of the UK and Ireland, play her first festivals and release her sophomore EP, What Now.
About Irish Music Month
Irish Music Month ran for the month of October as a way to promote Irish artists and bands. It saw a signficant increase of Irish music on radio across 25 independent stations, including on WLR. As a result of the initiative, €100,000 will be paid directly to Irish artists. The campaign was coordinated by Independent Broadcasters of Ireland and music publication Hot Press.
Irish Music Month was supported by the BAI, under its Sound & Vision scheme. Other supporters of the project include XL Retail group, MCD Concerts, IMRO and RAAP.
Judges for the A New Local Hero award include representatives from IMRO, RAAP, RubyWorks, the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland and Hot Press, as well as musicians and songwriters, Ruth-Anne Cunningham and Róisín O.
Ollie Carroll spoke to Carrie on his show "The Spin Home" listen back.....
