Five Geelong artists to showcase new music after GRID Series mentorship

THE five local musicians involved in the Geelong edition of the Grass Roots Indie Development (GRID) Series program are set to debut new songs next week.

The tracks are the culmination of six months’ work with the GRID program, during which the artists received intensive industry mentoring and media training from a team of acclaimed industry experts.

Each of the program’s participants also had the opportunity to work on their new music during studio recording sessions with award-winning songwriter and producer Joelistics, ARIA nominated sound engineer, songwriter and producer Becki Whitton and producer Ariel Blum.

To celebrate, an all-ages release party will be held at the Geelong Arts Centre on Wednesday, April 17 between 6-9pm.

The event will follow the release of the emerging artists’ new songs, across all streaming services, on Friday, April 12.

The five GRID Series artists – Baraka The Kid, Wild Gloriosa, Ridzyray, Daisy Kilbourne and LENNi – will perform live at the release party, and documentaries about each of the musicians will also premiere.

Directed by Paul Huynh, Nick Rae, Emily Seif and Sam Biddle, the documentaries aim to give the audience a closer looker into the background, challenges, and motivations of each artist.

City of Greater Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan said the GRID Series program had provided each of its participants with fantastic opportunities.

“Council is committed to strengthening the region’s arts and culture scene and providing more opportunities for people to express their creative talents.

“GRID has been a fantastic way for emerging artists to connect with, and learn from, industry professionals, so they can advance their music careers and be exposed to new audiences.”

The artist development initiative is supported by the Victorian government through Creative Victoria in partnership with the City of Greater Geelong and the Victorian Music Development Office.

State Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said getting started in the music industry could be tough – a barrier the GRID Series program aimed to help emerging creatives to overcome.

“GRID gives young performers the skills and experience to take their career to the next level.

“Through programs like GRID, the Victorian government is investing in our next generation of musicians and in our great regional music scene.”

To purchase tickets to the release party, head to geelongartscentre.org

For more information about the GRID Series program, head to gridseries.com.au/geelong