Ah, the high school years… When the people you hang out with and what you do after school are far more important than having good grades or winning a sports scholarship.

Let’s face it – who was NOT in some band in their teenage years? But surely, not everyone had a chance to participate in a competition putting that band’s name on the music industry’s map.

That competition is called ‘Unearthed High’ in Australia.

PART 153 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE

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Triple j – the famed youth broadcaster from the ABC group – runs heaps of formats, shining a light on different aspects of Australian music.

Its Unearthed segment, as the name itself suggests, is dedicated to uncovering new talent. And even though it’s much easier for independent artists to enter the music world without a manager, record label or PR team these days, Unearthed is still a relevant discovery place for emerging acts in the country.

Uploading songs to the platform makes them eligible for a review by professionals working for triple j (and other platform members). And nothing looks better in a press note than a sweet quote from a serious music journo. Right?

In a country aspiring to export more music overseas, like Australia, investing in new artists and their future is crucial. The crew at Unearthed gets it. Hence, the ‘Unearthed High’ initiative.

So what is it exactly?

In plain language, it’s a competition aimed at any act featured on the platform “who is of High School age.” You’d be surprised how many teenage artists upload their music to Unearthed.

Apart from the DoB, there are no other tricky criteria to join the competition. Well, you should probably have some music and upload it to the platform before entering. The organisers also encourage potential candidates to read the full T&Cs, just in case.

The competition is currently in its 15th year. Naturally, not all Unearthed High alumni “make it” in the biz. But it doesn’t hurt to take part in the initiative.

Many now-beloved Aussie acts have gone through its ranks in that time. If you follow the scene closely, you’ll recognise names like Arno Faraji, The Rions, The Kid LAROI or Lastlings.

The 2023 round anniversary 2023 was also properly marked in the triple j’s calendar. In June, a cool concert, including some finalists from different years, was staged during the VIVID Sydney festival. Last year’s winner, JACOTÉNE, was there, too.

I remember accidentally rocking up to the ‘Live At The Steps‘ event put together by Unearthed in 2017 when I didn’t even know what it was yet. That’s when I saw another notable finalist, Baker Boy, and heard his banger, “Marryuna”, for the first time.

Entries for this year’s competition close on July 24. There’s still plenty of time to let all your High School muso friends (or your kids if you’re closer to my age) know about it.

And you definitely should because we need to nurture young talent.

[UPDATE 17 August 2023]

The winner has been announced today. It is LEE, a 15-yeard-old rapper from Sydney.

Listen to his winning song, “UP”, on triple j Unearthed.

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