MATT CORBY

Matt Corby has had a big year in 2023 with an Australian tour for his album, Everything’s Fine. His first album in five years, Everything’s Fine vividly captures the personal and creative growth of Matt Corby who, like many, was tipped belly side up recently. Beyond the global touring pause, on the day he had planned to begin writing his next album Matt’s home was inundated with floodwaters. His family moved into Rainbow Valley Studios, where he juggled familial responsibilities with his creative pursuits - a one-of-a-kind pressure cooker circumstance that would galvanise his artistic evolution.

Firmly fixed on seeing the best of things, Matt reveals “I'm at a really beautiful point in my life. I'm accepting all this stuff: the good and the bad, but particularly the bad. Which is kind of great. It’s a good thing to come to that point. Life isn't always magical, but the moments that are, well you really value them. I think this record is about that, about managing your actual reality. Sometimes I have those moments when you realise: well I'm still breathing, you still have the gift of life, so everything is fine I guess?”

L.A.B

In just five short years, L.A.B have grown into one of the most-popular and busiest acts in New Zealand music. An eclectic mix of reggae, electronic, blues & funk all combine to create a sound entirely their own. Since their inception, L.A.B have performed at almost every major festival across NZ, alongside multiple sold-out headline tours of Australia. Released in November 2017, L.A.B’s self-titled debut showcased the multiple sides to the L.A.B sound. Upon its release, the album went straight to number one on the iTunes Album Charts, has spent over 140 weeks in the New Zealand Top 20 Album charts since release, and has been certified Platinum. The single ‘Controller’ has since become a modern NZ anthem, being certified three-times Platinum nearly three years after its initial release.

Not willing to waste any time, the band were back in the studio less than four months after their debut’s release, with the new album L.A.B. II, released just in time for summer. December 2019 saw the band fulfil its goal of releasing three albums in three years, with the release of L.A.B. III. Since release, their single ‘In The Air’ become the biggest track in NZ, hitting Number One on the Official NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, the first independent local act to do so since 2012. It has also been certified five-times Platinum, was the most-played song on NZ radio for over three months, and reached Number One on the 2020 NZ Official End Of Year Singles Chart. Arriving just prior to the end of 2020, L.A.B IV maintains the sound that has become L.A.B’s trademark – reggae, funk, soul & blues effortlessly combining. L.A.B continue to assert themselves as one of NZ’s hardest-working acts, with no signs of slowing down.

BOY & BEAR

Boy & Bear have attained a level of staying power that most artists could only dream of; and all whilst maintaining their authentic vision and driving love for their craft. Achieving early career support from triple j Boy & Bear swiftly catapulted onto the world stage releasing their double-platinum debut album Moonfire in 2011, which went on to snag five coveted ARIA award wins. 2013’s Harlequin Dream and 2015’s Limit Of Love strengthened Boy & Bear’s expansive presence, with both albums charting at #1, and Harlequin Dream marking the group’s second studio album to go Platinum. From 2019’s Suck on Light to 2023’s self-titled full length (both top 10 albums), Boy & Bear have continued to evolve and grow, gaining more and more fans from across the globe. Boy & Bear’s live show is a uniquely compelling experience and has earned the band the glowing reputation as one of Australia’s most outstanding live acts.

MEG MAC

“I wanted to just start again and do everything without compromise,” begins Meg Mac of the game-changing personal switch-up that led to ‘Matter of Time’: the Sydney-born singer’s incoming third album. Having recorded and primed a previous ‘third album’ for imminent release, Mac had what she now describes as “a bit of a meltdown” with personal and professional doubts coming to a head. She scrapped the body of work two weeks before launch and moved to a remote village in the NSW countryside. “Matter of Time” came into being across 2020 and 2021 and is a document of an artistic redemption of sorts, fleshed out by her most fully-realised sonic and visual palette yet.

From the lead single ‘Is It Worth Being Sad’, the first track written from the remote village as lockdown hit, to re-imagined gems from the ‘unreleased’ album “Something In The Water” and “Don’t You Cry”, to selectively seeking songwriting collaborators PJ Harding (Noah Cyrus) for “Don’t You Cry” & “Head on the Pillow” and Jesse Shatkin (Sia) to bring additional magic to the likes of “Understand” – Meg took time to realise her newly found control and purpose. Enlisting production duo The Donuts (Kendrick Lamar) to capture Meg’s stunning and versatile vocals and push them to the fore in a range of ways; you can hear their synergy across the record, from the woozy, unlikely jam of ‘On Your Mind’, the breeziness of ‘Only Love’, and the intimacy of songs like ‘Something In The Water’ or ‘Lifesaver’.

All these pieces fit together to answer a puzzle that Meg has been trying to solve for years - of how to truly be satisfied and to make a record that flourishes without compromise. Matter of Time is “how I’ve always wanted to do an album” she affirms, “…knowing when it’s not right, and having the confidence to say so and to take it in a different direction”. “Now for the first time, I really feel in control.”

EVES KARYDAS

Over the course of her career, indie-pop singer/songwriter Eves Karydas has amassed over 60 million streams and has platinum and gold selling AU singles including 2020’s ‘Complicated’ which landed at #22 in triple j’s Hottest 100. Her work has been featured on Spotify's New Music Friday US and UK and New Pop Revolution playlists, as well as BBC Radio 1's Best New Pop playlist. Karydas has also performed at every major Australian festival, has multiple sold out headline tours under her belt, and has supported Dua Lipa, The Wombats, and George Ezra.

What properly tells the story of Hannah (Eves) Karydas though, is her journey navigating a largely male-domainated industry as a young woman reclaiming her power. As of 2023, Eves is self-managed and independent. Her independence was announced via a candid personal essay shared to her social media in October last year after she reached breaking point, calling out the time-worn sex-sells strategy and intense pressure exerted on female artists by a largely male-dominated industry. Now in the process of writing her sophomore album and emboldened by taking the reins of her career, with all the achievements under her belt thus far, it’s a compelling chapter in the Eves Karydas story.

MIA WRAY

Thanks to a belter of a voice, no holds barred lyrics and endless charisma, Melbourne artist Mia Wray’s star is on a rapid rise. Originally from Noosa, Mia honed her craft playing bars, restaurants and country clubs up the coast, just her and her guitar. In her late teens she moved Melbourne, and after a couple of years of
gigging locally realised there was a bigger, braver sound, one she’d not dared to dream, waiting dormant inside her.

Mia Wray has gone on to become one of Australia’s most highly acclaimed emerging artists. Five singles and a debut EP in, Mia has graced playlist covers, had her singles added to high rotation on triple j, toured alongside the likes of The Rubens and Vance Joy and performed on national TV several times over. Mia entered the global arena in 2021 which included her debut headline show in the UK and resulted in an invite to the Great Escape Festival as part of its First 50. Mia celebrated the EP release on triple j’s Like A Version, performing a joyous rendition of MUNA’s ‘Silk Chiffon’ alongside a no-holds-barred performance of ‘Stay Awake’. Mia embarked on her first national headline tour to celebrate the EP release and more recently joined Maisie Peters on her sold out European tour.