Search is now on for Ireland’s next big thing

THE hunt for Ireland’s greatest cover version begins afresh this January as the Le Crunch Apple of My Eye returns for another nationwide search.

Having established itself as one of Ireland’s most popular song contests, thousands of promising Irish musicians have entered the competition since its inception in 2013.

Many of them have continued on to aspiring careers in the music industry, such as Stephanie Rainey, Hvmmingbird and Brave Giant.

The Le Crunch Apple of My Eye contest invites musicians from all over Ireland to choose and record their favourite cover version and send it to JOE.ie, where a panel of industry judges will select a Top 10 from all entrants.

This will be whittled down to a Top 5, who will be asked to perform their track live at Dublin’s iconic venue, Whelan’s at a national final in March.

The judges for this year’s competition include one of this country’s finest frontwomen, Jess Kavanagh from BARQ, rising singer songwriter Jack O’Rourke and JOE show presenter, Paddy McKenna.

Not only will the winner walk away with a cash prize of €1,500, they will also be guaranteed a slot at one of Ireland’s best music events next summer – the Indiependence Music & Arts Festival.

“Each year we have run this competition, we have been consistently amazed by the rising standard and the quality of the entrants,” said Sandrine Gaborieau, Marketing Director of Le Crunch from France.

“It makes us extremely happy to see the competition as a stepping stone for many of these artists, and once again we are looking forward to listening to a whole new batch of songs in the Le Crunch Apple of My Eye 2018.”

During the competition, JOE will host a live audition for a number of artists that will be filmed by its production team.

“I’m very excited to judge another year of this competition,” said Paddy McKenna.

“I’m really looking forward to discovering new talent and showcasing it to a much wider Irish audience.

“We can’t wait to hear what is out there and during the competition we’ll be hosting some of the best songs online.”

Musicians are invited to record their favourite cover version and to enter the competition through JOE.ie.