Latest news with #TheBelladrumTartanHeartFestival
The National
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The National
BBC Alba launch search for homegrown talent to play Belladrum festival
The broadcaster has teamed up with The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to unearth the next top talent from the Highlands and Islands in a bid to celebrate newcomers to Scotland's music scene. The competition is open to solo artists and bands, where at least 50% of their members have a Highland home address, across all genres, with one newcomer receiving the opportunity to open the main stage at the Hot House Arena on Thursday, 31 July. As the festival prepares for its 21st year, with acts including Texas, Supergrass, Paul Heaton, Tom Walker, and Natasha Bedingfield confirmed, BBC ALBA is on the hunt to find the best new homegrown talent to add to the lineup. READ MORE: Winter festivals worth almost £200 million to Edinburgh, report shows Calum McConnell, commissioning editor at BBC ALBA, said: 'While there is nothing quite like the atmosphere of being in the field at a festival, shoulder to shoulder with fellow music and arts fans, BBC ALBA remain committed to bringing the magic of Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to audiences who can't be there in person, as we have done for the past 13 years. 'Our festival highlights are always a popular fixture in BBC ALBA's summer schedule, and this year will be no exception. The addition of the talent search will shine an even brighter light on the incredible creativity emerging from the Highlands and Islands.' (Image: BBC ALBA) Held on the Belladrum Estate in Kiltarlity, the festival has grown in popularity over the past 20 years and now attracts thousands of visitors. BBC ALBA, which held a similar competition last year, said it aims to support Scottish artists and aims to provide a platform to propel newcomers into the industry. The lucky winner will also have the additional opportunity to record an acoustic session in the BBC ALBA studio at the festival. Musicians can apply by submitting a bio and link to their music to tartanheart@ with entries judged by a panel of experts, including representatives from the BBC and Belladrum, alongside an independent musician appearing at the festival, before the shortlist goes to a public vote. Applications will open on May 27 at 9am and will close at 11.59pm on June 8. It is expected that the public vote will open on June 13 on the Belladrum website and will close on June 20, ahead of Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival 2025, which runs from July 31 to August 2.
Scotsman
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
BBC ALBA launches talent search to open Belladrum main stage
Following the success of the 2024 talent search, BBC ALBA has teamed up with The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival once again with a new quest to find the best up-and-coming musical talent from the Highlands and Islands. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Open to solo artists and bands (where at least 50% of its members have a Highland home address) across all genres, one newcomer will be given the opportunity to perform on the main stage at this year's Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival. Known for its unique and diverse showcase of music and the arts, the festival has grown in popularity over the past 20 years, now attracting thousands of visitors. As it prepares for its 21st year, with acts including Texas, Supergrass, Paul Heaton, Tom Walker and Natasha Bedingfield confirmed, the team is on the hunt to find the best new homegrown talent to open the main stage at the Hot House Arena on Thursday 31 July. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad True to its longstanding support of Scottish artists, BBC ALBA is supporting the search, providing a platform to propel newcomers onto the celebrated Scottish music scene, as well as an additional opportunity for the winner to record an acoustic session in the BBC ALBA studio at the festival. Cameron Ferguson and band open the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival 2024 Calum McConnell, commissioning editor at BBC ALBA, said: 'While there is nothing quite like the atmosphere of being in the field at a festival, shoulder to shoulder with fellow music and arts fans, BBC ALBA remain committed to bringing the magic of Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to audiences who can't be there in person, as we have done for the past 13 years. 'Our festival highlights are always a popular fixture in BBC ALBA's summer schedule, and this year will be no exception. The addition of the talent search will shine an even brighter light on the incredible creativity emerging from the Highlands and Islands.' Musicians can apply by submitting a bio and link to their music to tartanheart@ with entries judged by a panel of experts, including representatives from the BBC and Belladrum, alongside an independent musician appearing at the festival, before the shortlist goes to a public vote. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Applications will open on Tuesday 27 May at 9am and will close at 11.59pm on Sunday 8 June. Cameron Ferguson and band open the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival 2024 It is expected that the public vote will open on Friday 13 June on the Belladrum website, closing on Friday 20 June, ahead of Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival 2025 from Thursday 31 July to Saturday 2 August. Belladrum festival producer, Dougie Brown, said: 'We're so excited to be teaming up with BBC ALBA once again to uncover and celebrate the next wave of incredible Scottish talent. This opportunity is so much more than a performance slot — it's a potential launchpad for an artist's future. Over the years, we've seen past talent go on to build amazing careers, and that journey often starts right here, on the Belladrum stage. 'Our partnership with BBC ALBA has been instrumental in showcasing not just the festival, but the creativity and energy coming out of the Highlands and Islands. Fourteen years on, it's still a huge moment when a fresh new voice gets the chance to share their music with thousands, both on site and at home. We can't wait to see who takes that spotlight this year.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Last year's BBC ALBA x Belladrum talent search winner, Cameron Ferguson, said: 'Almost a year on from winning the 2024 Belladrum talent search, I can still say that opening up that stage was the proudest moment of my musical journey to date. The feeling of playing on a stage I had once only dreamed of playing was surreal, especially one so close to home. Thank you Belladrum, you've opened a lot doors for the band and I. We will be back soon enough!' Cameron Ferguson and band open the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival 2024 Belladrum brings together top musical acts, comedy, cabaret, spoken word, dance, drag and even wrestling as part of the annual family-friendly festival. A wealth of new names and popular crowd-pleasers have been added to the festival line up in recent weeks, including The Pigeon Detectives, Example, The Hoosiers, Irish singer and songwriter CMAT, and Scottish folk rock and pop favourites Skipinnish and Tide Lines. Find out more about Belladrum and get your tickets at
