Northamptonshire talent could win £5,000 recording session thanks to Gretton charity

A Gretton-based charity that helps young people in the county realise their sporting and artistic ambitions has added another prize for a rising star.

Travers Rising Stars is a free-to-enter competition arranged by The Travers Foundation with local musicians now able to win a prize worth £5,000 and to be able to record their new single.

The winners will now be able to record their first single, mixed and mastered by a professional engineer as well as, enter a professional photographic studio to create their music video and single cover artwork. And throughout this process, they will receive music industry mentoring.

Kieran Forsey, event director for Travers Rising Stars, announced a partnership with the central Leicester studios of HQ Recording.

He said: “HQ Recording and Travers Rising Stars share the same ambition to give young local aspiring talent a step on their journey toward becoming a recording artist and live performer. Working with Yasin and his team at HQ Recording, there are opportunities for the winner Travers Rising Stars 2022 to go on to achieve great things.”

Yasin El Ashrafi, the founder of HQ recording studio, said: “I set up HQ Recording with the simple mission of helping young talented local artists achieve their full potential by offering mentoring, support, and experience in the creative industries. I aim to help as many local artists as I can to develop and start working towards their dreams. Travers Rising Stars is a perfect event for local musicians to achieve this.”

Travers Rising Stars is a free-to-enter competition open to any band, singing group or solo artist aged 13 and 30 who live or study in Northamptonshire, Leicestershire or Rutland.

In addition to the HQ Recording Package, winners are invited to a live recording session at Under The Apple Tree, the music brand curated by Whispering Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2 and best known for presenting the BBC Old Grey Whistle Test.

Bob and his son Miles have spent the last five years building up an online audience with more than two million hits on its exclusive YouTube channel, WhisperingBobTV.

Auditions will be in the form of an unedited ten-minute video. The best entries will go forward to a live final in August 2022 on the competition Stage at Glastonblaby 2022.

The winner will be invited to perform on the main festival stage. Those keen to make their break in the local music scene can register their interest now at www.traversrisingstars.com. The closing date is June 26, 2022.

Kieran added: “Travers Rising Stars gives a young band or artist a real opportunity to get their music heard by a wider audience. The partnership with HQ Recording, Under The Apple Tree, and Glastonblaby gives the winner a unique stepping stone into the music industry.”