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SXSW Sydney is thrilled to congratulate DEVAURA and Voice of Baceprot as the winners of the second annual Justin Cosby Music Prize
The Justin Cosby Music Prize is named in the memory of an Australian industry legend, Justin Cosby, who passed away in June, 2021. Justin was the founder of Inertia Music, a passionate supporter and defender of independent music and new talent with an encyclopaedic, genre-defying knowledge of music. He was a regular attendee at SXSW and his meticulously-organised spreadsheet planner was shared widely among Australian industry making the journey to Austin each year. The judging panel comprises industry leaders from independent record labels, community radio, venues, festivals, and local and international media.
The two prizes are:
Best Emerging Artist – awarded to the local or international artist showing the most potential to attain their career goals (awarded on artistic merit and export readiness).
WINNER: DEVAURA
SXSW Sydney Music Program Manager, Reg Harris says:
“For an artist that has only been releasing music and performing for just over a year, DEVAURA came to SXSW Sydney with the songs, the wild performance style and the magnetic energy of a seasoned veteran. Watching DEVAURA and her band transform her bouncy, jersey-club inflected hip-hop style into a raucous yet tightly arranged live set was a total pleasure, made even more fun by the various dress-up themes that ran through the shows (pyjama party, office meetup and construction site). She was very deservingly the name on everyone’s lips all week and with just a few songs under the belt so far, DEVAURA’s clearly got a super exciting life in music ahead.”
Best Performance – best performance at an official SXSW Sydney event by a local or international act.
WINNER: Voice of Baceprot
SXSW Sydney Head of Music, Claire Collins says:
“From the moment we announced VoB, the anticipation for this mighty trio was huge. Their appearance at SXSW Sydney is just one achievement in a blockbuster year, being the first Indonesian artist to ever play Glastonbury, and their years of playing live certainly paid dividends in a completely enthralling live show. Whether it was impressing an industry audience at the Music Festival Opening Party, tearing apart the Tumbalong Park mainstage or headlining the Rolling Stone stage, the fiercely feminist heavy metal act surprised and delighted at every turn.”
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