RISING STAR AWARD
NOMINEES 2025
Nick Noon is a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and genre-blurring storyteller whose timeless aura has captivated critics and listeners alike. Drawing on classic songwriting craft and a modern emotional edge, he blends rock, folk, and Americana into a sound that feels both familiar and freshly cut. Publications have praised his lyrical depth — The Static Dive likening him to Guthrie, Williams and Dylan, while our very own TJPL News hailed his British-rock spirit reminiscent of The Beatles and Oasis. His acclaimed EP “A Jejune Affair” earned rave reviews across global press, solidifying his status as a rising force. With hundreds of songs written and an ever-expanding following, Nick Noon stands poised to become one of the defining voices of his generation — crafting music that connects, comforts and lingers.
Nick Noon
Big O is a genre-defying hip-hop artist and producer from Birmingham, Alabama, blending boom bap, lo-fi hip hop, rap and neo-soul into a sound rooted in authenticity and emotional depth. Developing his craft from age 13, he later sharpened his skills in Los Angeles and now creates from Vienna, Austria, where his influence continues to grow globally. Known for cinematic textures, thoughtful lyricism and meticulous production, Big O has earned acclaim across major platforms and international radio, including multiple Album of the Year awards and placements on NPR, BBC and SiriusXM. His work stands at the intersection of creativity, vulnerability and visionary craft.
Big O
Jasmine Catherine
Jasmine Catherine is a cinematic-pop artist and sonic world-builder whose songs feel like portals into myth and memory. Raised on musical theatre and shaped by classical training, she blends orchestral power with
​fantasy-driven storytelling, crafting tracks that sound equally at home on a battlefield, in a haunted forest, or beneath castle light. With a voice that shifts from whisper-soft magic to sky-splitting force, Jasmine writes music for dreamers, storytellers and anyone who lives inside the pages of books. Praised by BBC Introducing and Indie Insights, she stands as one of the most immersive new voices in fantasy-pop today.
The Theos Variant
The Theos Variant — the dynamic rock duo of vocalist Dan Lentz and multi-instrumentalist Geoff Haught — return with Mechanical Organism, a gripping continuation of the sonic world first introduced on their debut album Auras. The track explores humanity’s evolving relationship with technology, blending cinematic atmosphere, crushing riffs, and Lentz’s commanding, operatic vocal presence. Recorded across Ohio and Indiana before being mixed and mastered in Germany by Benedikt Hain at Outback Recordings, the single showcases the duo’s ambitious sound and expanding creative reach. With Lentz’s classical pedigree and Haught’s deep family roots in music, The Theos Variant deliver rock that is both technically fierce and emotionally resonant.
Spenser Phoenix is a Melbourne-based composer, producer, and six-string innovator known for blending genres with effortless precision and groove. A true musical Swiss Army knife, he moves between styles without ever losing the infectious rhythm that defines his sound. Raised in a deeply musical family and inspired by years of watching his father tour globally, Spenser developed an early passion for experimentation — a curiosity that now fuels his boundary-pushing artistry. His collaborations span the USA, UK, Norway, Poland and Australia, showcasing a versatility few can match. Spenser Phoenix proves that when you ignore limits and keep it groovin’, creativity has no boundaries.
Spenser Phoenix
Lulu Leloup
Dubbed “jazz’s darkly comic romantic,” Lulu Leloup arrived in August 2025 with a sound that marries vintage charm to modern mischief. Her music recalls the era of Porter and Gershwin, yet her voice is uniquely her own — intimate, clever, and drenched in a nostalgia that feels newly minted. Born in Beirut, raised in Montreal, and now shaping her story in Dubai’s shadowy jazz corners, Lulu writes with both wit and wound. Her debut “Hope I Won’t Love You Anyways” and follow-ups like “You Called Me Baby…” and “(If You’re Gonna Break My Heart…) March” reveal a storyteller defined by vulnerability, humour, and undeniable character.
Isabel Maria
Pen in hand and ribbon in hair, 19-year-old singer-songwriter Isabel Maria has been dismantling expectations since 2021. The Sunderland-based artist — now a North East Culture Award winner, alongside honours like the Alan Hull and Northern Writers Awards — writes alternative pop that disarms with vulnerability, wit, and emotional clarity. What began as secret songs on her grandad’s old Casio has grown into hundreds of thousands of streams, BBC Radio 1 support, and praise from Rolling Stone Español. Fresh from major festival stages and national tours, with a USA run ahead, Isabel offers the kind of honest storytelling fans of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Gracie Abrams gravitate toward instinctively.
Teen songwriter Amelie is shaping a career rooted in heart, activism and indie alt-rock power. Her new single “Blessed” — inspired by Oliver, a young fan with cerebral palsy — transforms a poem from her Song4U challenge into a soaring tribute to resilience and love. Amelie is donating half the royalties to help Oliver’s family fund an urgently needed wheelchair, proving how music can directly change lives. Compared to Florence + The Machine, London Grammar, Hozier and Portishead, she’s already gained support from Spotify Fresh Finds, EQUAL Spain, Tom Robinson and Danielle Perry. With 20 original releases and rising global impact, Amelie’s voice carries both purpose and promise.
Amelie
RISING STAR AWARD
NOMINEES 2024
Barbarella
Hayden Lloyd
Aurora By Noon
Corvyx
The Theos Variant
Mini Haye
Daniel de Boer
SAMBOX & Anita Barbereau
