Groundwater Launches New Initiative To Discover Country Talent

Groundwater Country Music Festival and KIX Country Radio Network have joined forces in an exciting new initiative to help budding country artists waiting for their big break!

Groundwater’s KIX-Start is searching for a raising musician to open The Back Road stage on Surf Parade at Groundwater CMF on the Gold Coast this November. With the winning act scoring a 45-minute set in front of thousands of Groundwater fans on the same stage that will also play host to likes of Adam Harvey, Catherine Britt, Gina Jeffreys plus many more stellar country performers.

Not only will the winning entrant open The Back Road stage, with return flights, accommodation and transfers for two included, they will also receive airtime on the KIX Country Radio Network. To enter, or for more information, visit: https://www.kixcountry.com.au/win/groundwater-kix-start.

Also, each Monday evening for five weeks at 7pm EST on ‘KIX Live’ (on Facebook Live), KIX will showcase two of the best Groundwater’s KIX-Start auditions sent in, and from those ten best country presentations, the panel of three judges will select the winning performance.

Included in the judging panel is Gina Jeffreys. The award-winning singer-songwriter burst on to the Australian Country Music scene twenty years ago, winning the Tamworth Toyota Star Maker competition in 1991, taking over the reins from none other than Keith Urban.

She says, “I am so excited to be a part of the very first Groundwater’s KIX-Start to help find an exciting new Aussie country artist. I'm passionate about helping to mentor and develop new artists and I know there are so many incredible artists out there ready to be discovered and this is the opportunity of a lifetime! I won Star Maker back in 1991, and it truly “kick-started” my career and I’m forever grateful, so I really understand the value of a launching pad like this for a new artist."

For this inaugural competition, participants can submit an original country-inspired song that exhibits an exceptional music ability, and the passion, creativity, and authenticity that characterises the country genre. Entries close at 5pm AEST on Sunday, October 17, 2021.

In 2021, the festival line-up will see more than 40 artists set to perform across five stages over three days from Friday, November 12 to Sunday, November 14. Apart from the aforementioned artists above, the line-up includes The Wolfe Brothers, Adam Brand, Andrew Farriss, Casey Barnes, Kaylee Bell, Brad Butcher, Melanie Dyer, Darlinghurst, Jayne Denham, Lily Grace, Melody Moko, Brook Chivell, Sammy White, Southbound, Natalie Pearson, The New Graces, and many more.

Groundwater is one of the few music festivals to be held in a year marred by festival cancellations due to the global pandemic. Following the cancellation of the 2020 event due to ongoing pandemic concerns, the 2019 event was a major success with 73,000 people attending, an increase of 15% from the previous year and injecting approximately $8.46million into the local economy.

Established in 2013 as the Broadbeach Country Music Festival, the festival was rebranded as Groundwater Country Music Festival in 2018. Groundwater is a common denominator in bringing people together. It reflects Australia’s unique culture, drawing from both the Aboriginal people’s close spiritual connection with the groundwater, as well as the farming community’s reliance on groundwater for survival. Groundwater reflects the innate culture of the Australian people who use the rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans as a central part of life.

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