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Sponsorships & Partnerships

RTÉ 2FM Rising

RTÉ 2FM today revealed its prestigious 2FM Rising list for 2023.

Chosen by a panel of experts, the eagerly anticipated list consists of ten music acts tipped for success, who are sure to have listeners enthralled with their work.

The ten artists are: 49th & Main, Aonair, April, Jen Payne, KhahiKid, Negro Impacto, Ryan Mack, Still Blue, Sweetlemondae, & Winnie Ama.

Alumni from 2FM Rising in recent years include world class artists like Fontaines DC, Denise Chaila. Dermot Kennedy, Jafairs, Lyra, Pillow Queens, Wild Youth, JC Stewart, The Murder Capital, For Those I Love, Monjola, Gemma Dunleavy, and Plantain Papi.

Rising Week will take place from January 16th – 20th across RTÉ 2FM, and will see the ten chosen acts – which 2FM will champion during the year – promoted extensively across the station. It will also broadcast exclusive new music and interviews with these up and coming artists.

Director of Music 2FM Adam Fogarty said: “2FM is extremely excited to announce our Rising list for 2023. Rising is an important initiative for us at the station in our support of Irish music and artists. It is something we are incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about.


“2FM already has a great track record with our Rising lists each year and we look to continue that this year. We believe our Rising list for 2023 is a great example of how strong and diverse the Irish music scene is right now and we feel our listeners will be as excited as we are about the quality of talent coming through and the incredible music they are making.We look forward to supporting our Rising acts and the many other great Irish acts across our platforms in 2023.”

2FM Rising is in association with IMRO and each of this years ten acts will also receive a €1,000 bursary (€10,000 in total) from the IMRO. 2FM Rising, in association with IMRO, is an artist development initiative providing airplay, promotional and content opportunities for its chosen participants.

IMRO’s Keith Johnson, Director of Marketing & Membership at IMRO,  said: “IMRO is delighted to continue its association with RTÉ 2FM Rising. Irish songwriters continue to push creative boundaries at home and on the international stage and the RTÉ 2FM Rising initiative will provide an invaluable showcase and support platform for all of the participating acts throughout 2023.”

For details see: www.rte.ie/2FMrising or https://instagram.com/rte2fm


Golden Plec Plec Picks Series

GoldenPlec are delighted to announce IMRO as a partner for our PlecPicks 2023 series.

PlecPicks is our annual flagship series highlighting the best new Irish music to look out for in the year ahead.

Now in its 10th year of publication the ‘Ones To Watch’ style features series has built up a reputation as the most comprehensive and detailed series of its type in Ireland with a reputation for tipping artists such as Hozier, Dermot Kennedy, Soule, Denise Chaila, Joy Crookes, Fontaines D.C. and more besides ahead of their big break.

The series includes a month of features, published throughout February, focussing on up-and-coming Irish musicians. The 2023 series features singer-songwriter Nell Mescal, post-punk outfit Gurriers, Kilkenny dance duo 49th & Main and many more Irish acts on the cusp of international success.

Speaking on the announcement GoldenPlec Editors Stephen Byrne and Ros Madigan stated:

“Over the course of the last 10 years we have worked tirelessly to build Plec Picks into Ireland’s premier new music feature series. We are excited to partner with IMRO on this project because it will enable us to introduce Irish artists to more people than ever before.

The Irish music scene has been decimated by the pandemic and now, more than ever it is important to support Irish music and the Irish music industry both at home and abroad. This partnership will allow GoldenPlec to continue to showcase the amazing talent of Irish artists across all genres.”

Breffni Banks, Marketing & Membership Manager IMRO added: “Since the beginning, PlecPicks has played a vital role in championing Irish music – providing an invaluable support platform for the tipped acts and the wider industry as a whole. IMRO is delighted to continue its partnership with the initiative in the coming year and look forward to the success that is destined to come for these artists throughout 2023 and beyond.”

The 2023 Plec Picks series will feature in-depth interviews with the chosen artists in tandem with a professional photoshoot created by GoldenPlec’s outstanding photography team; tailored to suit the unique visual style of each artist.

Keep an eye out on GoldenPlec’s social media for updates on each new act.

Visit: https://www.goldenplec.com/


Other Voices 

Other Voices, Ireland’s premier music TV show returns to RTÉ this February with extraordinary performances and conversations captured in Dingle, Cork and West Wales.

Presented by Huw Stephens and MayKay, the brand new series will showcase the incredible talents of some of the most exciting Irish and international artists making music right now including Paolo Nutini, Loyle Carner, Inhaler, Stella Donnelly, The Big Moon, Biig Piig, Just Mustard, Gilla Band, SOAK, Gwenno, SELLÓ and many more.

On 16 February the series kicks off with a stunning performance by one of the UK’s best-selling artists Paolo Nutini who travels to Dingle to play songs from his acclaimed new album ‘Last Night in the Bittersweet’. Also in episode one, there will be music from beloved Dublin singer-songwriter Sorcha Richardson who shines bright in the Church of St James, globally acclaimed folk multi-instrumentalist John Francis Flynn gives a powerful performance while the fresh voice of Irish Drill, SELLÒ makes a blazing Other Voices debut in the IMRO Other Room.

Later in the series, Other Voices will share highlights from last year’s Other Voices Cardigan with music from Gwenno, Stella Donnelly, Poppy Ajudha and more, plus there we’ll see inspiring performances from Biig Piig, Cian Ducrot, SOAK, and Susan O’Neill all captured during Other Voices Bringing It All Back Home Cork on beautiful grounds of University College Cork.

Throughout the series Other Voices continues to celebrate what’s about to happen with some of Ireland’s brightest new voices including Galway rap sensation Celaviedmai, alt rock act Kynsy, experimental jazz collective Bricknasty and Dingle hero Pa Sheehy all taking to the stage in the IMRO Other Room in Dingle.

Other Voices Founder Philip King, said: “Celebrating what’s about to happen has always been at the heart of what Other Voices is about. In this, our twenty-first year, we host and celebrate a remarkable diversity of brilliant new Irish music from every part of the Island. Artists in Ireland right now are producing, making, minting and recording some of the best music ever made here. It’s a delight to host some of these artists in the beautiful town of Dingle, West Kerry, right at the edge of Europe. We will also be joined by Paolo Nutini, Loyle Carner and The Big Moon who have made the pilgrimage to Dingle. We will have surprises from Wales with Poppy Ajudha, Gwenno, Stella Donnelly, Catrin Finch & Aoife Ní Bhriain. Also featured in this series will be brilliant performances from SOAK, Cian Ducrot, Susan O’Neill, Biig Piig and more from the beautiful environs of the Aula Maxima in University College Cork. The music captured is uplifting and inspirational and it’s just great to share this music with everybody on RTÉ2 television and with the world on the RTÉ Player.”

Justin Healy, Executive Producer at RTÉ, said: “We are delighted to be bringing another series of Other Voices to our audience. This 21st series will continue to showcase emerging talent and also treat us to very special performances from some of the biggest names in the business, made all the more special that they are coming to us from Dingle.”

Keith Johnson, Director of Marketing & Membership of IMRO said: IMRO is delighted to continue its longstanding association with Other Voices. From its humble beginnings in Dingle over twenty years ago, Other Voices has grown into a much treasured and unique platform that provides Irish music creators with an ideal opportunity to reach a global audience with their creative talent… long may it continue”.

Other Voices begins on Thursday 16 February at 11pm on RTÉ2 and with all episodes available worldwide on the RTÉ Player.

In advance of the broadcast, you can listen back to the IMRO Other Voices Podcast featuring interviews with Bricknasty, Pa Sheehy and Celaviedamai:

Other Voices celebrated it’s 21st anniversary in 2022, live and online with some of the world’s most exciting acts.

Stunning live sets will be beamed live to the Other Voices’ YouTube each night, with dozens of Ireland’s brightest new voices taken to the stages along the Dingle Gin Music Trail from 2 – 4 December.

Check-out the artists that took to the IMRO Other Room below:

Kynsy

Welcome to the world of Kynsy: a colourful, weird place of harsh edges and soft storytelling, where unwavering authenticity reigns king and the building blocks are constantly shapeshifting around you. It is the world constructed by 24-year-old Ciara Lindsey, who is still constructing herself, throwing love songs and confrontational battlecries at the wall to see what sticks.

It began with the rising Dubliner’s debut EP Things That Don’t Exist released last year, a few months after she featured in the NME 100 who praised the EP as, “a masterclass of channeling angst into disarming indie for a new generation.”  Her music caught the attention of The Irish Times, naming her one of 50 people to watch in 2022; the Quietus who included the debut EP as the best new music of that month; glowing reviews from the likes of DIY, DORK and Clash, who called Kynsy’s first release “raw and breathtaking”.  BBC Radio 1 proved to be equally supportive with Jack Saunders, Annie Mac and Gemma Bradley all championing her and she was chosen as a BBC Introducing artist for Radio 1’s Big Weekend.  But that four-track release still wasn’t enough – Kynsy is an endlessly prolific songwriter. Her mind has been thrumming with tunes for the last five years, and at this point she’s just itching to get them out.

Freedom has always been the most important thing, and with second EP – Something To Do With Love – you sense Kynsy fully embracing the confidence that comes with her ever-growing knowledge as a songwriter, producer and performer, presenting a boisterous collection of tracks without being constrained by genre, format, theme, or, well, anyone but herself. She’s indebted to the artists she grew up on – David Bowie’s chameleonic glamour and the Beatles’ peerless crowd pleasing, as much as The Strokes’ seductive stubbornness and the way nobody writes lyrics quite like David Byrne. But still, The new songs build on the swaggering wit of the first EP, the observational frustration with modern living now shapeshifting into something broader, grander, even stronger.

Live she has performed at Pitchfork Festivals London and Paris, The Great Escape, Neighbourhood Weekender, Truck Festival, Tramlines, Y Not Festival, Live at Leeds in The Park, Forbidden Fruit, Electric Picnic and Other Voices.

Bricknasty

Rapidly becoming one of the most talked about live acts in Ireland, Bricknasty emerged from Ballymun at the beginning of 2020 as a lockdown studio project that has developed into a band taking in members from across the country – singer and guitarist Fatboy, drummer Korey Thomas and bassist Dara Abdurahman. Featured in District Magazine’s Future of Irish music 2021 feature and described by BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders as his favourite type of jazz mixed with every other genre under the sun, they draw influence from Neo-Soul while putting their boisterous and eclectic nature on full display. From infectious energy and soulful chords to its soft, woozy vocals, the band combine R&B, hip-hop and an anarchic musical approach that stems from singer Fatboy’s roots in the Balbutcher Lane flats and exposure to a range of cultures, from traditional ballads to hip-hop, rave and 90s garage.

Pa Sheehy

It wasn’t just Covid-19 and lockdown, which made 2020 a year that Pa Sheehy is unlikely to forget. After a decade fronting the Irish chart-conquering Walking On Cars, he decided last July that it was time to leave the group. “When lockdown hit, the level of peace that came over me was something I’d never felt before. I slowed down and stopped thinking of the next song and the next gig for the first time in ten years. It was a chance to re-evaluate everything. Was I happy with where I was? I tried to convince myself I was and that I should be grateful, but it became apparent after some time that I wasn’t happy and it was time to make a big decision.” “There was no bust up or other big drama; it has just run it’s course” he explains. “Following all those years of being in a band, I wanted to be able to totally do my own thing, which has been very liberating. Walking On Cars was an amazing period in all our lives. The people of Dingle were with us from our first gig in a local bar, two albums later and we had toured all across the world, player to 14,000 people in Dublin’s 3Arena; and performed before Kendrick Lamar at Electric Picnic to 35,000 people singing back every word. So all in all, we did good.” Following the success of his debut EP ’The Art Of Disappearing’ a Top 10 and No.1 independent release in Ireland along with a Sell Out run of Headline shows in Ireland. After a string of festival shows this Summer and having just completed a Sold Out European tour, Pa Sheehy has just announced a row of intimate ‘Unplugged’ shows in Ireland this December.

SELLÓ

Named as Irish Times 50 Best People to Watch in 2022 and earning the prestigious cover page in January edition, the 22 year old has pioneered ‘Gaelic Drill’, a fusion of traditional Irish culture with the modern drill/ hip hop sound, a new era of music that is heavily focused on reviving classic samples and giving them a new lease of life for his generation. His debut mixtape ‘Sellotape’ debut in the Top 10 on Official Irish Album Charts, first Irish Drill Rapper to do this.

Celaviedmai

Celaviedmai (aka Mai or Cela) is a Galway born artist who has become one of the most exciting names in the Irish hip-hop and rap scene. She is recognised as a rising star both in Ireland and internationally for her incomparable stage presence and hard-hitting lyricism. Cela has an impressive performance history from the 3 Arena to the National Concert Hall, headlining her own shows and opening for artists such as Nova Twins, Lil Wayne, Mac Miller, Hoodie Allen and Tinchy Stryder.

You may recognise Mai from the theme song of the It Galz podcast, features in the likes of Vice, New York Times, UK Times, Hotpress Magazine, Ireland Music Week 2020, National Concert Hall x District Magazine’s Extraterrestrial, the NCH Utopia Cypher curated by Una Mullaly, BBC’s Rap Trip and RTÉ’s My Tribe (S2).

Mai’s music is celebrated for defying genres within urban contemporary and she often combines English, French and Irish in her lyrics – paying homage to her Ivorian roots. In 2022 Mai was reported as a standout artist at St. Patrick’s Festival, appeared as the cover star of the Culture Magazine in the Irish Sunday Times, opened for UK punk duo Nova Twins at Whelan’s, had her Ireland in Music performance premiered as part of the SEODA 2022 programme and was broadcasted across the USA. Mai released her much-anticipated debut EP ‘Both Sides of the Story’ to high praise, where half of the songs were added to Spotify playlists New Music Friday UK, Irish Rap & Drill 2022, The New Éire, A Breath of Fresh Éire and Ireland 2.0.

Mai had a busy summer performing at the likes of Forbidden Fruit, Wildroots, MoLi – The Museum of Modern Literature Ireland, Body & Soul, All Together Now, Connolly’s of Leap and Electric Picnic. Celaviedmai will be making her Other Voices Dingle debut this December and is currently recording new music for solo releases and collaborations in early 2023.

The Dingle Gin Music Trail

othervoices.ie

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