Ego the Jackal (aka Derry musician Connor McGowan) has won the Derry City Council’s Big Break Challenge.
Connor was revealed as the winner last night by BBC Radio’s Stephen McCauley on his popular alternative music show, which also featured the winner’s song “Dreamer, Dare, Fly.”
Connor has already been lauded as one of the best song-writers on the local music scene and his work resonates with the sounds of Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez and Robyn Pecknold.
His Big Challenge prize includes three days recording time in the renowned Blast Furnace studio, a professional promotional photo shoot and the production of CDs for the newly recorded material.
The competition is the latest in a series of opportunities being offered to local musicians through Derry City Council’s Music City legacy programme which aims to nurture and promote new talent, and provide local artists with a range of exciting opportunities.
The selection panel was made up of four industry professionals including Rory Donaghey (Blast Furnace/Resonate), Gareth Stewart (Celtronic), Charlene Hegarty (Small Town America Records) and Colin Coyle, Derry City Council.
Oonagh McGillion, Legacy Director with Derry City Council, aid she was delighted that the competition had attracted such a wide range of local talent.
She added: “I would like to congratulate Connor, and I hope that this prize will assist him in furthering his musical career,
“The standard of the entries was extremely high and testament to the fact that Derry is full of talented artists just waiting for a chance.
“The aim of Big Break is to provide artists with tangible opportunities which will have a direct impact on their work, assisting them in reaching new audiences and establishing their place in the industry.
“I wish Connor all the best with his career and I look forward to hearing the end result of his recording session.”
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