On Song International – A word from the Creator
On Song International is the show hoping to change the game! I’d like to introduce you to the man with the vision, the creator of On Song, Mr Ken Kunin.
Following on from my previous post about On Song International, in this post we’ll be looking at the crew and cast in a little more depth.
First of all, to understand why I’m writing this post, you need a little more background.
Following the filming of the first three episodes of On Song, I was so enveloped by the concept and by the bright lights, that I knew I had to be involved in some way. So I made sure I met Mr Ken Kunin, creator of the show, so I could find out more about what he’s trying to achieve. What’s the vision? What is it that he’s doing here?
I won’t re-invent the wheel, you can read about Ken and his many achievements at Triple J Unearthed, or The Courier Mail, or When in Wynnum. Needless to say that Ken is a very accomplished musician and at present, aside from starting a music revolution, he heads the band Ken Kunin and The Crooked Sky. I was lucky enough that The Crooked Sky were the backing band for On Song and the artists, and that I got to hear some of their original music, because they were pretty tight.
Don’t they look like a fun bunch?!
Ken initially brewed the idea of the show with a colleague in early 2017 and since that time On Song has grown exponentially. And it’s getting bigger. What he wanted to create was a new platform, a new format, an MTV styled documentary about cool acts in the development, he wants it to be the vehicle for people to be exposed to new music and to expose new music people have created. He doesn’t want this to be a bad reality show, he wants to capture new moments.
For all you Millenials who are wondering what MTV was before ‘Teen Mom‘ and ‘Jersey Shore‘, there was music. Real music.
Ken wants to bring back the garage bands who practice their fingers off, he wants to hear from the kid with a home grown studio, or 60 year old guy that’s been writing his own music all his life.
On Song is not about pinning artists against each other. It’s about giving them a platform, unearthing talent that’s authentic.
Let’s talk about On Song’s co-host, Sabrina Laurie. If you know anything about Sabrina, you’d know that not only is she a kick-ass musician, she’s an active champion for other musicians. She too has a vision and has endlessly promoted local artists.
When Ken put out a casting call for presenters, he got a whole heap of applications from… well let’s just say that blonde and busty wasn’t gonna cut it for this show. When Sabrina applied to have her music featured, Ken instead asked her to be a presenter. She had all the personality and talent he was hoping for in his co-host for On Song.
And so the dream turns into reality. In a few short months, Ken went from watching TV with his daughter and trying to explain that yes, the producers ask for sob stories from the talent show applicants to make them more likable, no, it isn’t by chance that person got picked because it’s all staged, to saying “FUCK IT!” and starting his own show!
That’s what intrigued me. The thought that, yes, I want to do something different, I want to show my daughter that there is a place for real artists in this world.
Which is what brings me to my next question – how the hell do you pick from 100+ musicians who had sent in their online material, how do you end up with just the three – and I don’t use this word loosely – brilliant, young artists to feature, from so many?
The answer seemed simple enough, although I trust there were many hours of work involved. It comes down who has it and who doesn’t. Ken didn’t care if you filmed yourself on your phone, he didn’t care if you didn’t have a professional video or a song recorded in a studio. He was looking for something that maybe he didn’t even know he was looking for until he found it.
And seeing Josh Jacobz, Marc Malouf and Will Anderson in action, it wasn’t hard to see why he picked them to kick start this brand new show. The boys outdid themselves. They brought an energy to the show, their own charms, their own hearts. You’ll have to watch the show to understand.
If this is the beginning, I look forward to seeing who Ken picks to feature in the future (I should be a poet).
Ken’s next plan is to do a jam session styled episode with bands. I expressed that I was hoping Sabrina will be featuring in there somewhere and Ken confirmed that she most certainly will. Hers is an energy that shan’t be contained in her hosting gig.
Ken wants to keep filming. He wants On Song International to grow – and as the name suggests, not just in Australia. He explained that when they changed their marketing from trying to reach an Australian audience to an international one, all figurative music hell broke loose and On Song International took off.
On Song is ongoing and Ken encourages YOU to apply! So if you or someone you know, is an amazing musician and needs a chance to be heard, get that phone out, get the camera out, use your Snapchat (jokes, don’t use your Snapchat), use whatever avenue will allow you to show your stuff. You may just be featured and your career may just be catapulted!
To apply for On Song International, go and Register Now! And good luck 🙂
Until next time, and as always – PEACE!
B.
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