The competition was fierce for this young vocal powerhouse, with Aimee Cuffe, The Halez and K Muni & ND among the other Shannonside/Northern Sound finalists. Keep an eye on hotpress.com as the announcements will come thick and fast as the week progresses.
The cross-country search for A New Local Hero is heating up, with singer Mia Black announced as Shannonside/Northern Sound's Local Hero! Mia is the latest act to go forward onto the final long-list, which will include representatives from each of the participating stations. The Local Heroes – all 20+ of them – will be revealed in a series of announcements this week. Watch this space for regular news updates!
Introducing Mia Black
The granddaughter of '70s showband star Gerry Black, this very talented teen grew up steeped in musical tradition. Starting out as a busker in the street-performance mecca of Galway a few years ago, the youngster swiftly became a hit on social media and boasts over one hundred thousand followers on YouTube. Equally comfortable lending her earth-shattering vocals to classic covers or her own polished material, Black has also recorded with 'YouTube's most-followed American Band' Boyce Avenue. A star in the making.
A New Local Hero: The Facts
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 21 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions in recent months. Now with, over 80 artists having performed and been interviewed on local radio, one act from each station is nominated for the long-list of contenders for the national A New Local Hero award. A panel of industry experts will then choose just six acts to go forward and play at the special showcase event in The Academy, Dublin on Tuesday 15 October 2024.
Launched in 2021, Irish Music Month is an initiative of Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, and is funded by Coimisiún na Meán.
What Irish Music Month means, across participating independent stations, is:
– More Irish music song plays
– More Irish music artist mentions
– More Irish music features
– More Irish artist gig pushes
– More Irish artist interviews
And – what's more – we'll be putting over €100,000 into the hands of music makers and their crews across the country too.
Irish Music Month is also supported by IMRO, RAAP, Live Nation, Rubyworks and Camden Recording Studios.
Irish Music Month - Irish Radio Supporting Artists - in association with IBI, Hot Press & Coimisiún na Meán's Sound & Vision Scheme, funded by the Television License Fee.
