The new Australian teen sensations

July 20, 2014 5:24 pm 9 comments Views: 30
Exciting prospect ... Local hip hop artist Tkay Maidza looks set to have another hit with

Exciting prospect … Local hip hop artist Tkay Maidza looks set to have another hit with her new single U-Huh. Picture: Calum Robertson.
Source: News Limited

THE phenomenal success of Antipodean pop acts 5 Seconds Of Summer and Lorde has music tastemakers scrambling to sign the next teen sensation.

Sony inked a deal reportedly worth $ 1.8 million with 13-year-old New York metal trio Unlocking The Truth last week and Australian industry execs are also on the hunt for potential stars.

With television talent shows running out of star power steam here, talent scouts are turning their attention back to gigs and online music hubs to find the Next Big Teens.

Young singer songwriters, producers and rappers are emerging via SoundCloud, Triple J’s Unearthed site, YouTube and support slots for other rising stars.

One of the most exciting prospects is 18-year-old hip hop artist Tkay Maidza whose songs Handle My Ego and Brontosaurus alerted the industry to her fresh sound.

Her latest single U-Huh was added instantly to radio playlists this week.

She has built her audience by opening for DJs on national club tours and more recently won a plethora of pint-sized fans when she performed on the Yo Gabba Gabba shows.

Tkay Maidza and Bad Cop, Brontosaurus

International interest is also swelling in Maidza’s unique dance hall infused sound because she raps and sings unlike most of her contemporaries.

As she prepares to perform at Splendour In the Grass for the first time this weekend, Maidza said the interest from labels and agents from around the world has been “pretty exciting”.

“I didn’t expect anything like this to happen. I really want to go overseas and play some festivals, basically what I am doing here,” she said.

“People think it is pretty sick that I am from Australia. It’s cool that I am the only one doing what I am doing here. I am that girl.”

Maidza said she loves the pressure that hip hop places on new artists to follow up each song with something equally as fresh.

And starting her music career at such a young age allowed her to serve her apprenticeship and find her sound.

“I think it is cool starting out in music as a teenager; I think most people who go on to make it start really early. People do notice you when you are younger,” she said.

“I have realised there are a lot of young people out there doing their thing with music and that makes me want to keep going.

“I’m loving what Montaigne is doing too. We were both on this list of Australian teenage musicians.”

As well as her Splendour performance, Maidza is booked to perform on the boutique electronic music festival Listen Out in September alongside other young breakthrough artists Flume and Chet Faker.

“I can’t wait to see them, it would be so cool to do something with them. Keep saying it and they might get the hint,” she said.

The Class Of 2014:

Tkay Maidza

Her Brontosaurus single was a classic example of music’s power to instantly revert you back to a foot-stomping, dancing big kid.

The success of that track put this prodigiously talented 18-year-old rapper and singer on the radar of all the industry tastemakers and she inked a deal with Dew Process for her new single U-Huh.

Could be the homegrown artist to blow Iggy Azalea out of the water.

YouTube star ... Troye Sivan tugged heartstrings with his beautiful ballad A Fault In Our

YouTube star … Troye Sivan tugged heartstrings with his beautiful ballad A Fault In Our Stars. Picture: Supplied.
Source: Supplied

Troye Sivan

Already a YouTube superstar with more than two million subscribers, 19-year-old Perth singer songwriter Troye Sivan will give you goosebumps with his stunning, epic ballad The Fault In Our Stars, inspired by the book of the same name. It has already been an online hit with more than 3.4 million views on YouTube, almost three million plays on SoundCloud and sold 53,000 downloads in the US alone.

Now signed to EMI, Sivan is getting ready to launch his debut EP TRXYE on August 15, with the lead single Happy Little Pill expected on the airwaves by the end of July. Sivan revealed he had written more than 40 songs with various producers around the world before settling on the tracks for the EP.

Indie rockers ... Lunatics On Pogosticks could be the band to usher her in a post grunge

Indie rockers … Lunatics On Pogosticks could be the band to usher her in a post grunge rock era. Picture: Supplied
Source: Supplied

Lunatics On Pogosticks

The Lennox Heads teen rock trio 2013 Triple J Unearthed High winners are doing their very best to bring grunge kicking and screaming back to the charts and the airwaves. The dudes ir new EP Slug Cat and Snail Dog should do the job. Infectious, well-crafted indie rock tunes including Less Than Sober, Do You Think I’m A Taco Bell King Of Guy and Edgy sound like they were made in 1992. And they deliver one of the finest lyrics this year with the track Blood Clot. “You’re my blood clot, you are killing me so slow.” Lunatics are touring in September in between university studies.

Anyone But Me ... Teen indie pop artist Montaigne is winning fans with I’m A Fantastic Wr

Anyone But Me … Teen indie pop artist Montaigne is winning fans with I’m A Fantastic Wreck. Picture Supplied
Source: Supplied

Montaigne

The musical alter ego of 18-year-old Sydney singer and songwriter Jessica Cerro has been slowly winning fans and influencing industry types since emerging via Triple J’s Unearthed High competition two years ago with her song Anyone But Me.

The talented artist has been signed to Albert Music and spent the past couple of years developing her avant garde pop sound which would find favour with fans of Kimbra and Bjork.

Four days after completing her HSC last year she started working with producer Tony Buchen on her debut EP Life Of Montaigne, recently releasing the quirky first single I’m A Fantastic Wreck.

Her independent EP will be released later this year.

Big things are expected of Central Coast teenager East who was the subject of a record la

Big things are expected of Central Coast teenager East who was the subject of a record label bidding war. Photo: Facebook
Source: Supplied

East

Apparently you couldn’t move for record company executives when this 17-year-old wunderkind from the NSW Central Coast performed an opening slot for the equally buzzworthy Kiwi duo Broods. Parlophone won the resulting bidding war.

Her song Old Age has had the blogosphere going ballistic, her deep voice perfectly matched to the infectious electro pop melody.

East will definitely find favour with Triple J listeners but could crossover big time as the urban and R & B domination of pop switches to electro.

www.news.com.au/entertainment/music

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