Twelve Victorian songwriters have been busy crafting new music at a studio space in the Mornington Peninsula this week for 'part 1' of Melbourne to Nashville SongHubs.
Participants include DMA’S Johnny Took, ARIA and CMAA Golden Guitar Award winner Andrew Swift, and 2023 NATSIMO PDA Youth winner Jem Cassar-Daley, Holy Holy’s Oscar Dawson and APRA Songwriter of the Year Ella Hooper.
Other participants are Cobram-born Eliott, ARIA and Golden Guitar nominated songwriting and production duo MSquared and 2022 Toyota Starmaker finalist and Wangaratta-based Jade Gibson, amongst others.
The sessions will take place 19-21 March 2024 at an idyllic farm setting on the Mornington Peninsula and are presented in partnership with the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria’s Music Works program. Australian-born Nashville-based hitmaker Lindsay Rimes will curate the sessions.
Rimes has had a massive few years, producing Nate Smith’s self-titled debut album and co-writing Smith’s two #1 Billboard Country Radio hits: ‘Whiskey on You’ (US Platinum certified) and ‘World on Fire’(a record 10 weeks at #1). Rimes was honoured for one of the Most Performed Songs
at the BMI Country Awards in Nashville last year. Rimes is undoubtably one of the most in-demand songwriters in Nashville right now.
“I've attended several APRA AMCOS SongHubs over the years. When I participated in the inaugural SongHubs in Nashville, I co-wrote Hooked, which became a Top 5, platinum-certified hit in the USA for Dylan Scott,” Rimes said.
“Now as curator, I have the opportunity to invite some of the best talent Victoria has to offer and see the same magic happen! It's incredibly exciting!”
Lindsay’s special guests are fellow Nashville-based artists: Grammy-nominated, CMA and ACM award-winning singer/songwriter Jon Nite, Round Hill Music’s Danielle Blakey, and Anna Hamilton, whose cover of Imagine Dragon’s ‘Bad Liar’ has amassed over 139 million views on YouTube. The special guests will work with participants to hone their original compositions.
“We’re thrilled to have Lindsay Rimes guiding SongHubs in Victoria this week and then on to Nashville in June,” said APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston. “His credentials as co-writer and producer are best in world, and for our members to be able to also tap into his vast knowledge and experience of the Nashville scene, is invaluable. Thank you to Creative Victoria for investing a SongHubs that is international in scale.”
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said: “Country music is going from strength to strength in Australia and we want to ensure our rising Victorian country stars can take their careers to the next level. This program will see local talent learn from some of the best in the business – I can’t wait to see where it will take them!”