Soulful Singer JACOTÉNE Wins triple j Unearthed High 2022

Naarm/Melbourne artist JACOTÉNE has been named as this year’s winner of triple j Unearthed High, seeing off stern competition thanks to her incredible vocals on “I Need Therapy”.

JACOTÉNE incredibly only uploaded her winning track in the final few days of this year’s competition, and even humbly called it a demo at the time. She beat off competition from KAYPS, Mika James, Sunsick Daisy, and Theo Landish to triumph. Triple j will now help JACOTÉNE record, mix and master her next single, which will earn extensive play across their stations.

Triple j hosts Ebony Boadu and Bridget Hustwaite snuck into the singer’s school this morning to surprise her with the exciting news. Keep an eye out on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook for video footage of the special moment JACOTÉNE discovered she was the 2022 winner.

The 16-year-old, who attends Star of the Sea College, impressed with her soulful vocals, drawing comparisons to iconic voices like Amy Winehouse and Adele. “Picking one winner out of the five finalists and the whole Unearthed High class of 2022 was never gonna be easy,” triple j Unearthed Music Director Dave Ruby Howe says.

“But 16-year-old solo act JACOTÉNE feels like a one-in-a-million talent. Immediately upon first play of ‘I Need Therapy’ you hear a voice that’s out-of-this-world good and summoning some unshakeable soul. We’re huge fans of JACOTÉNE already and we reckon everyone will feel the same way very soon.”

JACOTÉNE follows last year’s winners, The Rions, with the Northern Beaches four-piece earning the honour for ‘Night Light’, a buoyant track that drew influences from the likes of Ocean Alley and The Vanns.

The band’s subsequent success over the past year will be an exellent example to JACOTÉNE of where her career can go from here. She joins an illustrious list of previous winners, including George Alice, Gretta Ray, and Arno Faraji.