BBC Alba has launched a search for the next big up-and-coming Highlands and Islands artist to open for an iconic Scottish music festival on its main stage.
The broadcaster has teamed up with The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to find the country's next best homegrown musical talent.
To celebrate the festival’s 20th anniversary and BBC Alba’s 13 years of coverage they have launched a competition looking for unearthed talent from the Highlands and Islands.
The lucky winner will have the opportunity to open for the festival by playing on the main stage.
Belladrum is a family-friendly festival that showcases top musical acts, comedy, cabaret, spoken word, dance, drag, and even wrestling.
The festival has a longstanding support of Scottish artists, and the competition is open to solo artists and bands from the Highlands and Island and across all genres.
The winner will also get to play an acoustic session in the BBC Alba studio which will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer as part of the broadcaster’s festival coverage.
One of the judges of the competition Julie Fowlis, who is a folk singer who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic, has said it is an amazing opportunity for any emerging artist to get their name out there.
Fowlis said: “The Belladrum Tartan Heart festival has become one of Scotland’s most popular and iconic music festivals, set in the most beautiful Highland surroundings.
“It’s the kind of festival that every musician wants to play!
“I’m honoured to be part of the judging team for this year's talent search, which affords an amazing opportunity to an up-and-coming artist from the Highlands and Islands to perform at the festival. If you’d like to play Bella this year, this is your chance.”
Twin Atlantic (below), one of the festival's most loyal acts, will return this year to headline The Garden Stage.
Rock music legends Toyah and Robert will also be playing this year with one of the UK’s biggest country music exports, The Shires, also making an appearance.
Previous headlines of the festival include Deacon Blue, James Arthur and Sugababes, alongside Ocean Colour Scene, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Calum Beattie, Teenage Fanclub and Jack Bugg.
Calum McConnell, commissioning editor at BBC Alba, hopes the competition will give the winner a head start in their career so they can follow in the footsteps of the likes of Frightened Rabbit and Fatherson.
He said: “We’re proud supporters of the arts in Scotland, and committed to bringing coverage of the likes of Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to viewers across the nation through funding from MG ALBA.
“We’re always keen to showcase our homegrown talent, so what better way to extend our annual support of the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival in its 20th anniversary year than with a search for the next best ‘homegrown’ talent from the Highlands and Islands.
“Our Belladrum festival coverage is always a highlight in the BBC Alba summer schedule and with the winner earning a spot on the main stage, we hope this can give an emerging artist the boost to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Fatherson, Frightened Rabbit and Twin Atlantic, who all played at Belladrum early on in their careers.”
Dougie Brown, Belladrum festival producer, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with BBC Alba in search of the most exciting up-and-coming artists from across the Highlands & Islands.
“Since the very first festival in 2004 Bella has been proud to showcase the best in emerging music alongside household names and festival favourites.
“Numerous artist's careers have grown in parallel with the festival and there is nothing better than watching an artist's career blossom and invite them to return to the festival to perform on bigger stages and to bigger audiences over the years.”
The talent search is now open, with entries accepted via email to tartanheart@bbc.co.uk until 9am on Friday, July 12.
