Translink Sessions announce local artist from Ards as a finalist in music competition
Newtownards nativexa0Max Sloanxa0has been shortlisted as a finalist in Translink Sessions music competition in partnership with Oh Yeah Music Centre Belfast.
Max Sloanxa0is an indie folk artist based in Belfast who started busking at age 15 in Belfast City Centre and continues busking regularly in his hometown of Newtownards.
Max performs covers and original music, which feature on his released EP ‘Make Me Better’ found on all major streaming platforms.
He has also supported local artists such as Leo Miyagee, Tiernán Heffron and many others.
After a robust judging process which saw each act submit an original song based on the theme of ‘connections’, a panel of industry experts whittled the entries down to the final six acts.
These six finalists have performed to bus and rail passengers at busking sessions in stations during August ahead of the live final on 30thxa0August at the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast.
The six finalists will battle it out for the coveted title of ‘Translink Sessions Winner’ as well as a prize package of £1,000, valuable airtime on Q Radio, industry mentoring and recording studio time.
Speaking about the finalxa0Max Sloanxa0said: “I’m so honoured to be in this line up of amazing finalists with Cora, Jack, Winnie, Niall and BIRCHES.
“They are all chosen by music professionals at the Oh Yeah Centre, with Q Radio and Translink.”
Speaking about the Translink Sessions shortlistxa0Sean McGreevy,xa0atxa0Translink who joined the judging panelxa0said: “We are delighted with the six artists that have made our final.
“But it was no easy task to whittle it down from the over 40 entries received, which only goes to highlight the depth of musical talent there is across Northern Ireland.
“All six of our finalists really impressed the judges with their songs and we look forward to showcasing them in the weeks ahead at our station busking sessions as we prepare for the grand finale at the end of August.”
Caoimhe O’Connellxa0at the Oh Yeah Music Centre said: “We were blown away by the level of talent that emerged through this competition.
“We had entries from all sorts of artists, from different genres and walks of life and choosing the final six was a major challenge.
“We are delighted to be hosting these six fantastic artists and their original songs in the Oh Yeah Centre on 30thxa0August.
“We believe the tickets will get snapped up fast, so our advice is to book early if you want to support this up-and-coming talent.”
Declan Wilsonxa0at Q Radio said: “It was great to be part of the judging panel for the competition.
“And I’m even more excited to be hosting the live final now that I’ve seen the quality of acts, we have shortlisted.
“It promises to be an exciting evening and a great showcase of local talent.
“Being a radio presenter, we are always on the lookout for fresh local music to play on the show and all these acts have definitely embraced the ‘connections’ brief with their song-writing.
“Undoubtedly they have that star quality.”
To vote for your favourite finalist’s head to:
Translink Sessions — Oh Yeah Music Centre (ohyeahbelfast.com)xa0xa0
or to secure your tickets to the live finalxa0
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/translink-sessions-live-final-tickets-687912112647
