“It’s a trip to think how far things have come”: triple j’s Dave Ruby Howe on the Unearthed High finalists

Five inspiring young music acts representing four Australian states and territories have been selected as finalists in triple j’s annual Unearthed High competition.

New South Wales acts Ninajirachi and Taj Ralph, Melbourne house duo SYDE, Darwin singer Stevie Jean, and Perth hip hop artist Arno Faraji make up this year’s cohort.

2017 marks the tenth anniversary of the competition, which has become a melting pot of Australian talent that regularly go on to do big things.

With the likes of Gretta Ray,Japanese Wallpaper,Asta,Mosquito Coast,Montaigne,Baroand Hockey Dad going before them, the Class of 2017 could well produce another household name in Australian music.

The selection process is not limited or restricted to location, genre or ethnicity. In fact, Dave Ruby Howe, triple j Unearthed’s Music Director, tells TMN that a combination of talent, audience reception, and the potential to have a lasting impact on the local music scene are of paramount importanceto any act’s chances of making the cut.

“I suppose you could say what we’re looking for is a bit of a combination of the artists’ talent, the releases that we have to go off, their potential to positively impact Australian music, and also how the Unearthed and triple j audiences respond to them now that we’ve announced our five finalists,” says Ruby Howe.

“There’s a lot at stake and plenty for us to consider and thankfully there’s a lot of great ears who’ll be helping to make that decision including the Unearthed team, triple j presenters, and key music staff like Richard Kingsmill, Nick Findlay, Gemma Pike and Dom Alessio.”

To crown 2017’swinner, triple j breakfast hosts Ben & Liam will make a surprise visit to the champion artist’s high school next week. They will get the chance to record, mix or master their singles at triple j’s Sydney headquarters, with the tracks getting subsequent airplay on triple j and triple j Unearthed.

All these benefits and opportunities, Ruby Howe says, is a testament to the evolution of the independent artist; how they are discovered, stylisticshifts brought about by technology, and an eagerness to get their name out there.

“[I]t’s definitely a trip to think how far things have come in a decade of discovering incredible high school-aged musicians,” heexplains.

“There’s been a stylistic change with guitar and garage bands no longer being the go-to sound for young music makers. The availability and user friendliness of production software has given rise to so many great electronic acts and you hear that reflected each year in the breadth of uploads.

“Also it still amazes me how savvy some of these young artists are. Not only do they have their shit [so] together that they’re balancing school with making sick tunes, but I’m finding more and more that a few artists have already been making their first steps in the music industry – whether that’s already having management or other representation or they’re doing co-writing sessions at 15-years old, it’s happening and I think it’s really exciting.”

You can listen to the five finalists, and all the other 2017 Unearthed High entries, over at triple j Unearthed’s website.