After staging a successful event in Melbourne earlier this year, Live Nation's invite-only live music discovery series Ones To Watch travels to Sydney this month.
A showcase of emerging Australian talent destined for international audiences, the Sydney event will feature Bella Amor, Lola Scott and Sam McGovern, who'll each perform to a room of industry buyers while making impactful career connections.Launched in Australia September 2021, Ones To Watch US alumni includes Halsey, Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa.
"This has been a long time coming for us, as it will be our first time coming to central Sydney," Paul Lynch from Live Nation Australia says.
"It is a destination with such a vibrant music scene with so many of the industry's biggest exports coming from the great city.
"We look forward to showcasing three of the best up and coming artists in the country as part of Ones To Watch."
A Gold Coast native, Bella Amor first gained industry recognition in 2020 with her track 'Beauty'. Recently Bella has released the singles 'Can't Get Laid', 'All My Friends Are High' and 'Sentimental' highlighting her music that's anchored by emotional explorations and honest observations on life.
Meanwhile, Sam McGovern is an artist from Western Australia whose debut song 'Grow' was nominated for Song Of The Year at the WAM Awards (Western Australian Music). McGovern achieved viral notoriety with the release of his single 'Memory' – a song that has amassed over 20 million views across social media platforms.
Lola Scott has been part of the Australian pop landscape since 2018, breaking through with her debut EP, '¼ Life Crisis'. Her 2022 'Breakfast For Dinner' record further cemented her status as an artist with impact.
Ahead of the showcase, here Lola shares five tips for recharging your mental batteries. Bless.
"I've been on the road a bunch over the past couple years from playing as a guitarist in other bands, to this year touring more as a solo artist," Lola says.
"I'm leading into the most shows I've ever done and coming off a few tours earlier this year, so it's been a major focus of mine to find the best ways to recharge when I do get time off.
"I've struggled with burnout on and off throughout my career, often driven by my productivity guilt that won't let me sit still and switch off my brain for a second.
"I'm finding better ways to balance that and protect my energy this year. "This is what works for me, but take the time to find what ways work best for you to recharge and if any of my techniques work for you even better!"
1: Have A Lazy Day
Sometimes you just need to allow yourself a day in bed. I struggle with feeling guilty and lazy when I get stuck in bed, but maybe your body needs it.I've taken up knitting to keep my hands occupied while I'm binge-watching shows. Try to stay away from your phone the whole day. I throw mine in the back of my wardrobe.
2: Visit A Local Park
My top recharge destination other than my bed is my local cafe that's in a park.If you aren't lucky enough to live near a cafe in a park I'd strongly recommend getting a takeaway coffee (or hot choc), a picnic blanket and a book to take to your local park.
If you struggle to concentrate on reading like me, I'd strongly suggest listening to instrumental playlists as you read. I recently discovered the synth scapes of Hélène Vogelsinger, which led me to dive into the Spotify curated 'modular synths' playlist that has been tickling my brain and helping me switch off my overthinking.
3: Cooking
Cook a comfort food meal. Mine's burritos. Cook in bulk so you don't need to cook again for the rest of the week. Or if your as lucky as me, just stay rotting in bed and your housemate will deliver you mi goreng; ily Amy.4: Paint In The Sun
I take my cat Stevie out on her leash somewhere sunny. Close my eyes and hit my heels together three times hoping that when I open my eyes she'll be a dog.If you still have a cat. . . paint a picture of her anyways. Make sure it's terrible. My preferred medium is watercolour.
5: Ocean
Go to the ocean or a large body of water and jump in. Have all the existential thoughts and remember you are but a speck of dust in the universe.I love finding any vast landscapes that go beyond my eyesight to remind me how small I am in the universe. Snorkelling is also super fun. I love fish.
The Ones To Watch Sydney invite-only showcase takes play at Oxford Art Factory 22 June.
