Aussie Artists Shine in Unsigned Only Competition

US based competition Unsigned Only announced its 2022 winners today, with three Aussies taking out the top spots, and a plethora of others getting honourable mentions. Historically, artists from Australia have always had the most wins, second only to the United States, and this year is no different.

Beddy Rays snagged first place in the Rock category for their song Sobercoaster, while pop-icon LT took out the Adult Album Alternative category for her song Rollercoaster. James Johnston also won second place in the Country category for his tune Raised Like That. 

The winners were selected from almost 7,000 entries from all over the world and will win more than $150,000 in cash and prizes, dispersed between them. This years panel of judges featured a wide range of industry folk from all over the world, including Robert Smith for The Cure and Darryl McDaniel from Run DMC.

Unsigned Only is one of the best places to discover unsigned, up and coming artists. On the success of Aussie artists in the competition, Candace Avery and Jim Morgan, Founders/Directors of Unsigned Only, detail that “The entire world is enamoured with Australian culture, and its music scene is a huge part of it,” 

“Australian artists are so creative and ambitious, and they seem to have an artistic freedom that stamps their music and makes it stand out from the pack. Aussie artists overflow with individuality, and this is what makes their music so special.” 

APRA AMCOS also supports the comp, saying that “Unsigned Only is a vital platform for discovering and displaying some of the best unsigned contemporary musical talent from all around the world,”

The complete list of Australian winners is as follows:

First Place
Beddy Rays (Redland Bay, QLD) – “Sobercoaster” – Rock
LT (Cairns, QLD) – “Rollercoaster” – AAA (Adult Album Alternative)

Second Place
James Johnston (Wingham, NSW) – “Raised Like That” – Country

Honorable Mention
Ben Drysdale (Canberra, ACT) – “I'm Flyin' Now” – Folk/Singer-Songwriter
Billie-Jo Porter (Coffs Harbour, NSW) – “Feels Like Us” – Folk/Singer-Songwriter
Bitch District (Perth, WA) – “Money For The Summer” – Pop/Top 40
Bree Rusev (Newcastle, NSW) – “Goodbye” – Folk/Singer-Songwriter
Bree Rusev (Newcastle, NSW) – “What Is Love” – AC (Adult Contemporary)
Bree Rusev (Newcastle, NSW) – “What Is Love” – Screen Shot
Capre (Brisbane, QLD) – “Give” – EDM (Electronic Dance Music)
Divebar Youth (Adelaide, SA) – “Mojo (Ft. Goyo) ” – AAA (Adult Album Alternative)
Ella Powell (Terrigal, NSW) – “Side Effects” – Teen
Georgie Raft (Adelaide, SA) – “Only In An Empty Room” – Teen
Germein (Mylor, SA) – “Good For A Girl” – AAA (Adult Album Alternative)
Isabel Wood (Sunshine Coast, QLD) – “Allergy Season” – AC (Adult Contemporary)
James Johnston (Wingham, NSW) – “Small Town” – Country
James Sun & MAXO (Canberra, ACT) – “Fix Me Up” – EDM (Electronic Dance Music)
JEFFE (Mount Gravatt East, QLD) – “WWYD ” – AC (Adult Contemporary)
Jo Fabro (Sydney, NSW) – “The Question” – Vocal Performance
Johnny Hunter (Sydney, NSW) – “Life” – Rock
LT (Cairns, QLD) – “How Would It Feel” – AC (Adult Contemporary)
LT (Cairns, QLD) – “Rollercoaster ” – Screen Shot
Mitch Grainger (Sydney, NSW) – “Strong Woman” – Blues
Riley Pearce (Perth, WA, Australia) – “Bottle It Up” – Folk/Singer-Songwriter
Siobhan Cotchin (Bedford, WA) – “Growing Pains” – Screen Shot
Sol.Jaz (Dunsborough, WA) – “A Change Is Gonna Come” – Vocal Performance
Timothy James Bowen (Bomaderry, NSW) – “Let Love Reign” – Americana