Back at the start of August, we opened our Kickstart competition for 2023 and over the last two months we’ve discovered and enjoyed lots of new music and hidden gems. We remain confident that there is a strong pipeline of new artists waiting to take the music scene in Northern Ireland by storm.
We last left you with the five artists who had made the shortlist for Kickstart 2023. Since then the individuals and organisations who are offering up their time and services as part of the competition have spent the last two weeks deliberating on who should walk away with the prizes.
It is cliché to say but there was very little to choose between the shortlisted artists and our panel were keen to point out the quality of the final five artists and how difficult their decision was.
Kickstart 2023 Winner
We are thrilled to announce that Moon Landing is the winner of Kickstart 2023. Moon Landing is an alternative music project created by 23 year old, multi-instrumentalist Jake McCrea.
Experimenting with soundscapes and musical textures, Moon Landing creates an immersive and emotional experience through each song, walking the line between vulnerability and powerful raw energy.
We are very excited to work with Jake and cannot wait to see what he does with the prizes up for grabs. We are confident that he has a bright future ahead of him and are looking forward to getting started.
Kickstart 2023 Runner Up
Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, we are delighted to be able to offer a runners up prize and our panel selected AOIBHA as the lucky recipient.
AOIBHA is an indie-pop songwriter and musician based in Belfast. She writes with a raw vulnerability that translates into soft, haunting melodies and heartfelt lyrics. AOIBHA draws on several musical influences to create her unique sound, including Carole King, Phoebe Bridgers, Norah Jones and Lizzie McAlpine.
We look forward to seeing AOIBHA back in the studio at Half Bap and are excited to hear the forthcoming single.
Acknowledgements & Thanks
We love running Kickstart each year but the reality is that it wouldn’t happen without the support and assistance from a huge range of individuals. Thank you for your support and for playing your part in promoting and developing artists within the music scene in Northern Ireland.
- Lee & Emma
- Third Bar Artist Development
- Manor Park Recording Studio
- Broken Film NI
- Stendhal Festival of Art
- United Tribes Festival
- Butter Wouldn’t Melt
- Avcunningham Photography
- New Champion Management
- Half Bap Studios
- Our internal Chordblossom judging panel
- Our external shortlisting panel (Stevie Lennox, Charlene Hegarty, Edwin Mc Fee, Taylor Johnson, Francesca O’Connor & Aine Cronin-McCartney.
We will of course keep you posted on the progress of Moon Landing & AOIBHA and look forward to sharing their new singles when they are ready.
Hopefully we’ll be back again in 2024 with another edition of Kickstart….
