Peninsula singers to compete in Tamworth finals
Two singers from the Peninsula will compete in the 2014 Star Maker competition at the 2014 Tamworth Country Music festival in January.
Bryce Sainty of Woy Woy and Melody Feder of Phegans Bay were announced as two of the 10 finalists for competition.
The finalists will compete at the 35th Star Maker final, which has been the main event on the first Sunday of the Tamworth Country Music Festival since 1979.
The final is set to take place on Sunday, January 19, where four grand finalists will be selected to compete on Friday, January 24, as a part of the Concert for Rural Australia before the winner is announced.
More than 50 entries were whittled down by a panel of six judges who selected the 10 finalists.
Star Maker coordinator and editor of Country Music Capital News Ms Cheryl Byrnes said the judges found it very difficult to reduce the entries down to a final 10.
"The competition offers such life-changing opportunities, it's no surprise we received so many top entries," said Ms Byrnes.
"It's getting harder to whittle it down every year but we eventually decided on a line up which represents one of the most competitive in Star Maker history," she said.
Rural Press Events general manager Mr Barry Harley said: "Star Maker is associated with so many country music icons, including the likes of Keith Urban, James Blundell, Lee Kernaghan, Gina Jeffreys, Beccy Cole, Lyn Bowtell and more recently with the likes of Travis Collins, Samantha McClymont, Kirsty Akers, Luke Austen, Luke Dickens and Bob Corbett."
"With the level of talent this year, and the inclusion of audience voting, we've no doubt we'll be adding yet another great name to this already legendary list.
"The 2014 winner will take a huge step up the ladder as this is an opportunity to mix with the emerging elite and springboard their careers off the back of the experience."
Bryce, a 20-year-old singer songwriter has been forging his way to a full time career in country music since 2011.
He won the 2011 Today's Country 94.1 Brand New Star title and the 107.7 2GOFM Voice of Carols competition.
Bryce graduated from the CMAA Academy of Country Music last year and released his first single Message in a Bottle which peaked at number six on the Australian iTunes country music chart.
Earlier this year he released his follow-up single Love Without A Doubt, co-written and produced by Rod McCormack, and also his debut EP.
He recently embarked on his first major Australian tour and will be an opening act for both Daryl Braithwaite and O'Shea.
Melody Feder arrived on the music scene in 2009 and, with a string of performance and song writing awards, earned respect in the country music scene.
In 2010 she released her debut EP Dirt Roads and Diamonds and the lead track RSVP received good airplay.
In 2011, Melody won both the SA and Vic Champion of Champions, 2011 Trans-Tasman Entertainer of the Year and the Aristocrat Entertainer of the Year and the CCMA Songwriters award.
In 2012, she graduated from the CMAA Academy of Country Music and was a grand finalist in the Road to Discovery.
In the same year, she had a six-week trip to the US where she spent one month in Austin, Texas, performing at Gruene Hall before spending a week in Nashville where she performed at the famous Tootsies.
Melody released her EP Walk the Wire in January and recently returned to the US to perform as part of an Australian contingency at the Americana Festival in Nashville.
Media release, 11 Dec 013
Helen Goufas, Haystac