A year on from picking up an Australian Independent Music Award (AIMA) in the Acoustic Singer/ Songwriter category, Mike Elrington is using the win to his advantage.
“It's been great,” Mike says of his 2016 AIMA win. “I think with awards they're only really useful when you constantly promote the fact that you've won them after you've won it.
“There's the initial rush of winning it and you get a profile boost from that but I think the key is to keep mentioning it. People see that it's a national award and it definitely builds a lot more respect and credibility.”
Mike says he couldn't believe his ears when his name was called for the award, especially in a category he's been trying to make a name for himself outside of his electric-rock work.
“The last time I won a music award was in high school for Battle Of The Bands and that was a long time ago,” he laughs.
“You enter into these things every year in the hope that maybe you'll get second or third or a mention and nothing much ever happens.
“So to actually win one was great and it was pretty good to win Singer/ Songwriter because it better sums up what I do; even though what I do is blues, roots-based that's not all that I do. So it's nice to get some recognition beyond just as a blues artist.”
As an independent musician, Mike says the national and international recognition garnered by the award is validation of his dedication to the DIY craft. “I've always preferred doing it myself,” he says.
“It's not that I'm not interested in working with managers and labels. I have done a bit of that over the years and it hasn't worked out well yet, but I'm still interested in doing that.
"But I think in this business these days you've really got to take the reins yourself and the more of that you can do, the easier it is to sell yourself to the industry.
“I think what a lot of artists do, and what I certainly did early in my career, is go to the industry without much of a profile, without touring or much to sell myself with and constantly get knocked back. I realised you have to get a few runs on the board on your own first before they start to really pay attention.”
Mike's latest release is his 2016 album 'Two Lucky Stars', which he has been touring consistently all over the world, including shows in New Zealand, Nashville and China.
Mike says the China tour opened his eyes to the vast possibilities awaiting musicians in the country's burgeoning live music scene. “It's another world over there,” he says.
“It's not a developed music industry like over here, in the US or the UK. It's still developing and Western-type music is emerging over there and it's getting more of a public profile.
“There's been a big social and cultural revolution over the past five to ten years where they're really embracing westernised culture now.”
