Derry musician shortlisted for Translink Sessions music competition finals

Fifteen year-old artist Cora Harkin from Derry has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Translink Sessions music competition in partnership with Oh Yeah Music Centre Belfast.

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Cora’s first official single was released in March 2023, followed by her first headline gig in the Nerve Centre Derry, followed by appearances at Oh Yeah Music Centre Belfast as support act for Lavengro and performing in summer festivals such as Dalfest.

Cora is as comfortable performing solo or acoustic sets as she is, with full band, commanding the stage with her powerful voice and presence.

After a robust judging process which saw each act submit an original song based on the theme of ‘connections’, a panel of industry experts whittled the entries down to the final six acts. These six finalists have performed to bus and rail passengers at busking sessions in stations during August ahead of the live final on August 30 at the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast.

The six finalists will battle it out for the coveted title of ‘Translink Sessions Winner’ as well as a prize package of £1,000, valuable airtime on Q Radio, industry mentoring and recording studio time.

Speaking about the final Cora Harkin said: “I’m so happy to be selected as a finalist of Translink Sessions Sounds of Summer music competition, thank you for all the votes so far and best of luck to all the other finalists.”

Speaking about the Translink Sessions shortlist Sean McGreevy, at Translink who joined the judging panel said: “We are delighted with the six artists that have made our final but it was no easy task to whittle it down from the over 40 entries received, which only goes to highlight the depth of musical talent there is across Northern Ireland.

“All six of our finalists really impressed the judges with their songs and we look forward to showcasing them in the weeks ahead at our station busking sessions as we prepare for the grand finale at the end of August.”

Caoimhe O’Connell at the Oh Yeah Music Centre added: “We were blown away by the level of talent that emerged through this competition. We had entries from all sorts of artists, from different genres and walks of life and choosing the final six was a major challenge.

“We are delighted to be hosting these six fantastic artists and their original songs in the Oh Yeah Centre on 30th August. We believe the tickets will get snapped up fast, so our advice is to book early if you want to support this up-and-coming talent.”

Declan Wilson at Q Radio said: “It was great to be part of the judging panel for the competition and I’m even more excited to be hosting the live final now that I’ve seen the quality of acts, we have shortlisted. It promises to be an exciting evening and a great showcase of local talent.

“Being a radio presenter, we are always on the lookout for fresh local music to play on the show and all these acts have definitely embraced the ‘connections’ brief with their song-writing and undoubtedly have that star quality.”

To vote for your favourite finalist’s head to Translink Sessions — Oh Yeah Music Centre (ohyeahbelfast.com) or to secure your tickets to the live final https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/translink-sessions-live-final-tickets-687912112647