RT 2FM has revealed its prestigious 2FM Rising list for 2023, announced live on air with Tracy Clifford this afternoon. Chosen by a panel of experts, the eagerly anticipated list consists of ten music acts tipped for success who are guaranteed 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 RT 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 RT 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, RT 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 from 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 RT 2FM Rising. Irish songwriters continue to push creative boundaries at home and on the international stage and the RT 2FM Rising initiative will provide an invaluable showcase and support platform for all of the participating acts throughout 2023.
About the 2023 2FM Rising Artists
49th & Main
Hailing from Kilkenny, 49th & Main are an indie-pop duo consisting of producer Ben O'Sullivan and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Paddy King. The pair first met in school and began working on music together, with O'Sullivan dabbling with acoustics and how to record King's guitar. They both decided to join a group of friends moving to Canada for the summer in 2019, they decided to take with them some recording equipment on the off chance they'd get some time to experiment. Little did they know that by the time they returned home, they'd have the bones of their debut project.
Learning music from a young age, King began writing his own music at 15 and busking on his hometown's busy cobbled streets. In university he became interested in house-music, electronica and more alternative modes of creativity, and developed an urge to give different genres a go. O'Sullivan had taken to video editing, before slowly transitioning to music production when he was introduced by a friend to FL Studio. Self-taught, O'Sullivan was inspired by American artist/songwriter Jon Bellion's Making of' videos to try his hand at creating electronic pop beats. By the time college rolled around, O'Sullivan had been producing for almost a decade and was looking for fresh ways to be creative. When King approached him to move to Canada for a summer, it struck him as the perfect opportunity to try something new.
In Vancouver (just off 49th & Main Street), the two wrote and produced music, for the craic when all of sudden we had two songs we really liked and decided we wanted people to hear them . On the eve of a worldwide lockdown, 49th & Main introduced themselves to the world with the rap-infused Party Alone, in collaboration with former classmate TraviS. Soon followed by their debut project Neon Palm Trees which jumped between genres effortlessly as the pair blended dual influences without fear of insult. What followed, however, was beyond even the wildest of expectations. In April 2020, 49th & Main released Catching Eyes', a lo-fi banger which has gone on to generate over 13 million streams on Spotify and propel the duo to new heights. 49th & Main have released collaborations with artists such as Sarah Carton, Khakikid, Landis and Chameleon. They have attracted global attention across the industry, joining Red Light Management's exciting global roster. Excitingly, the band recently announced that they have signed a global record deal with independent label Counter Records.
Aonair
Aonair's sound combines lush electronic production with dreamy reverbs, huge drum sounds and soaring vocal melodies to create a dreamy but powerful sound. Influences include The War On Drugs, Tears for Fears, Julie Cruise and The Blue Nile.
During the COVID pandemic, Aonair began working on a collection of songs between studios in Dublin and his grandparent's house in the picturesque seaside Donegal village of Rathmullen. The results of this are big and bold, synth-drenched upbeat indie-pop tracks with an 80's edge. Off the back of a super busy summer appearing at Electric Picnic, Kaleidoscope, All Together Now, Stendhal and more, Aonair released the new EP Loveheart Birthmark in Oct 2022 to high acclaim.
Fantastic Gemma Bradley, BBC
An artist to keep an eye on Indie Buddie
Unabashedly bright synth-pop Nialler9
Obsessed since he released it BBC Across The Line
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RT 2FM has revealed its prestigious 2FM Rising list for 2023, announced live on air with Tracy Clifford this afternoon. Chosen by a panel of experts, the eagerly anticipated list consists of ten music acts tipped for success who are guaranteed to have listeners enthralled with their work.
