APRA AMCOS and SOUND WEST announce ‘Songhubs The Tower’ industry showcase

UPDATE (28/2/2022): SOUND WEST Music + Tech conference has been rescheduled to August 23 – 28 2022. 

Western Sydney-born hip hop artist and APRA AMCOS ambassador, L-FRESH The LION, will curate Songhubs The Tower @ SOUND WEST, as well an industry live showcase featuring SongHubs talent and local artists. L-FRESH will also deliver a keynote speech as part of the SOUND WEST program.

The five-day SOUND WEST festival comprises a live music program spread out across the venues of Parramatta, as well as a two-day music and technology conference at CommBank Stadium (home of the Parramatta Eels and Western Sydney Wanderers). The 2022 festival runs from Wednesday 30th March – Sunday 3rd April.

The Tower @ SOUND WEST is a four-day songwriting, producing and recording intensive, not dissimilar to the SongHubs camps APRA AMCOS organises around the world each year. However, L-FRESH will prioritise applicants from Western Sydney, while also considering those from around the country and New Zealand.

Interested artists will be able to apply for The Tower @ SOUND WEST in the new year. In the meantime, APRA AMCOS members are encouraged to visit the SongHubs web page and submit an application of interest. 

The Tower @ SOUND WEST will set up shop in the VIP boxes at CommBank Stadium from Tuesday 29th March – Friday 1st April, where the participating artists will have access to world-class recording technology. The objective is to collaborate on new commercially-viable songs, while L-FRESH will also select performers for a showcase at The Live Stage during SOUND WEST 2022.

“I’m excited to be curating this APRA AMCOS SongHubs edition, which is being delivered in partnership with SOUND WEST,” L-FRESH The LION said in a statement. “I consider it a great honour to be able to showcase some of the best talent Western Sydney has to offer.”

L-FRESH will have help overseeing The Tower @ SOUND WEST from Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Khaled Rohaim (another Western Sydney affiliate). The 35-year-old Rohaim is known for his frequent collaborations with The Kid LAROI, as well as contributions to Doja Cat’s ARIA #2 album Planet Her and Rihanna’s billion-streamed hit ‘Needed Me’. 

Two of Western Sydney’s most exciting new talents, hip hop and R&B artist A.GIRL and post hop artist Nardean, will join Rohaim and L-Fresh in the studio throughout The Tower @ SOUND WEST. 

“This SongHubs will bring together artists and producers from across the region and the country for four days of songwriting and collaboration plus an opportunity for the artists to showcase at The Live Stage during SOUND WEST 2022,” said L-FRESH.

Previous SongHubs intensives have given rise to songs such as Ecca Vandal’s ‘Future Heroine’, Client Liaison’s ‘Off White Limousine’, Briggs’ ‘Life Is Incredible’ and Tia Gostelow’s ‘Get To It’. 

APRA AMCOS’ Chief Executive, Dean Ormston, commented on the decision to bring SongHubs The Tower to Western Sydney for the first time. “Greater Western Sydney is a territory rich with talent, influenced by many cultures with storytelling at the heart,” he said. “We look forward to discovering and developing that talent through songwriter initiative’s at SOUND WEST.”

Email songhubs@apra.com.au to sign up to the SongHubs mailing list and be notified of when applications for The Tower @ SOUND WEST open.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.