The 5th Red Bull Award for Best Debut Release has been awarded to Sydney’s The Holidays as part of the 6th Australian Music Prize. The Red Bull Award has long recognised outstanding potential, with the 2010 prize renewing its focus to concentrate on debut albums only. The Holiday’s “Post Paradise” earned a raft of critic’s praise including many four and half star reviews, and earning them the 2010 mantle for The Amp’s Red Bull Award.
Previous Red Bull Award winners include Goyte, Bluejuice, Jack Ladder and Oh Mercy many of whom have gone on to receive critical and commercial success including Platinum album sales and ARIA Awards and nominations.
The Holidays receive $15,000 in flights and accommodation to travel to Los Angeles and spend a week in the Red Bull studio in Santa Monica. The Los Angeles studio is a state of the art facility that has played host
to all levels of musicians ranging from world-renowned GRAMMY winning artists to undiscovered musical talent.
The Holidays singer/guitarist Simon Jones felt honoured by the win. “So many great debut albums have come out in 2010 that we feel truly honoured to receive the Red Bull award. This award is a really important boost for us at the start of what we’re hoping will be a big year in Australia and overseas.”
The Holidays intend to make use of their prize as they traverse the globe for South By South West in Texas in March. They will be working on demos for their follow up album to the stellar debut.
“Listening to the album [“Post Paradise”] now I almost forget the process of creating it. You forget the thousands of ideas that we’re carefully rejected before arriving at the most refined product: The sounds,
beats and words that nobody objects to. Ultimately for us, this album is 18 months worth of our good ideas,” Simon said of the album process.
Now the band are focused on putting as much energy into their highly anticipated sophomore release and thanks to the Red Bull Award have the opportunity to do it in style.
The Red Bull Award winner was chosen by The Amp Director Scott B. Murphy and Red Bull’s Tom Sigelski from the long list selected by the panel of judges. “Red Bull is proud to continue to encourage outstanding new acts and give them a platform to not only take their music further in Australia but also the world. With this new prize which offers tangible results for
the bands in the form of studio time and international experience, Red Bull is taking Australian music to another level,” said Red Bull’s Tom Sigelski.
“The Holidays were a stand out choice amongst a tough field of debut releases, with an album that media, fans and industry has embraced. I can’t wait to see the results of their studio session start to take shape. Previous Red Bull Award winners have gone on to great success, proving The Amp and Red Bull have their eye on the future of Australian music.”
The nine shortlisted acts for The 6th Australian Music Prize will be revealed in full at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday, February 2nd at 12pm. Even though The Holidays have received the Red Bull Award they could still be in the running for the major prize!
The winner of The 6th Australian Music Prize will be announced on Thursday, March 3rd and will receive $30,000 cash thanks to PPCA. Previous Amp winners include Lisa Mitchell, Eddy Current Supression Ring, The Mess Hall, The Drones & Augie March.
