Organisers of Toyota Star Maker are excited to announce the Top 10 Pop-Up Concert Tour is back, with the 2024 finalists holding a series of free performances in the lead-up to the Grand Final event in January.
First held in 2022, the tour will see each finalist perform at their local Toyota dealership or a community event. Bega’s Felicity Dowd will kick off the tour today, performing at the Bega Christmas Family Carnival, with the remaining nine finalists performing across December and early January in the lead-up to the 52nd Toyota Country Music Festival, Tamworth. Each of the finalists will perform live, and meet and greet fans afterward.
Toyota Star Maker Coordinator, Cheryl Brown, says it will be a fantastic opportunity for finalists to engage with their local community and build momentum in the lead-up to the Grand Final.
“The Toyota Star Maker Top 10 Tour is a chance for each of the finalists to share their music with their community and cheer them on as they prepare for the big event in January,” says Ms Brown.
Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer, Vin Naidoo, said Toyota was proud to be an official sponsor of the Toyota Star Maker competition and tour.
“This is such an exciting time for up-and-coming country music stars in Australia and we look forward to seeing the 10 talented individuals perform at the Star Maker Top 10 Pop-Up Concert Tour at their local Toyota dealerships,” Mr Naidoo said.
“It’s wonderful to see these artists get the chance to take to the stage in their hometowns to perform, before hitting the Tamworth stage early next year in Toyota Park. We are thrilled to be a small part in their journey, and we wish them all the best of luck in the lead-up to the Toyota Star Maker Grand Final concert.”
The 2024 Toyota Star Maker Top 10 will be performing on the following dates:
1 | Felicity Dowd | Thursday 7th December 2023, 5:10-5:50pm | Bega Christmas Carnival, Bega NSW |
2 | Jake Whittaker | Friday, 15th December 2023, 3-5pm | Grand Motors Toyota, QLD |
3 | Jemma Beech | Monday 18th December 2023, 10am-2pm | Singleton Toyota, NSW |
4 | Jay Santilli | Saturday 23rd December 2023, 10am-12pm | Pakenham Toyota, VIC |
5 | Nathan Lamont | Early January | Thomas Bros Toyota, Wagga Wagga NSW |
6 | Dakota East | Friday 12th January 2024, 3-5pm | Brighton Toyota, VIC |
7 | Ethan Calway | Saturday 13th January 2024, 10am-12pm | Warragul Toyota, VIC |
8 | Piper Rodrigues | Saturday 13th January 2024, 10am-12pm | North Lakes Toyota, QLD |
9 | Jimbo Stokes | Tuesday 16th January 2024, 3-5pm | Scone Toyota, NSW |
10 | Wade Forster | Thursday, 18th January 2024 | Tamworth Toyota, NSW |
The Toyota Star Maker Grand Final commences at 7pm on Sunday, 21st January 2024, and will feature three special guests who are all previous Toyota Star Maker winners, and nominees in the 2024 Golden Guitar Awards to be held on Saturday, 27 January 2024.
Leading the guest announcements is 2004 Toyota Star Maker, Travis Collins. Travis has enjoyed a landmark year in 2023, with his ninth studio album, Any Less Anymore becoming the highest-charting Australian country album in over two years, peaking at #3 on the ARIA All-Genre Album chart and #1 on the ARIA Country Album chart. Travis is the equal most nominated artist in the 2024 Golden Guitar Awards with six nominations and he will be looking to add to the eight Golden Guitars he has collected to date, including three as Male Artist of the Year. With over 35 million combined streams and dozens of hit singles under his belt, Travis is set to rock Toyota Park with a selection of hits from across his career so far.
Nominated for New Talent of the Year, Loren Ryan, the 2023 Toyota Star Maker, will return to the stage to perform a set of songs she released during her Star Maker year, including a brand-new single.
Hosting the evening is Max Jackson, the 2022 Toyota Star Maker winner, also nominated for New Talent of the Year, and Female Artist of the Year, at the Golden Guitar Awards and recently announced as the official ambassador for the festival.
“The return of successful artists such as Travis, Max, and Loren, who make up part of the 43 Star Maker alumni, is affirmation of the impact that winning the competition can have, for emerging artists,” says Cheryl.
For further information on the Toyota Star Maker competition visit https://starmaker.com.au/
Tamworth Country Music Festival is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.