logo
Netflix turns up the volume on unscripted music shows with two Aussies set for the global stage

Netflix turns up the volume on unscripted music shows with two Aussies set for the global stage

7NEWSa day ago

Netflix has dropped two new trailers for its latest slate of unscripted music shows, and one of them will shine a global spotlight on two Australian artists.
Building The Band has been dubbed 'The Voice meets Love Is Blind', with contestants choosing their bandmates based solely on vocal performance, without ever seeing them.
The trailer, released this week, marks the final project completed by singer Liam Payne before his unexpected death.
The show features Payne alongside star mentor Nicole Scherzinger, judge Kelly Rowland and host AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys as they guide 50 hopeful musicians. The field will be narrowed to six bands competing for the top prize.
Among the contestants are two Australian musicians: Toowoomba's Mason Watts and Conor Smith from the NSW Central Coast.
Watts, a national finalist in TikTok's 2023 Gimme The Mic competition, has already tasted chart success.
His remix of To The Moon And Back hit number one on the ARIA Club Chart, clocked more than one million TikTok views and landed him at number 25 on TikTok Australia's Rising Star Chart.
The singer released his debut EP The Afterlove via City Pop Records, which also represents Eurovision 2023 Cyprus contestant Andrew Lambrou, pop/R&B artist JXN and electro-pop artist Mia Rodriguez.
More recently, Watts has been working with Swedish songwriters and producers Anton Engdahl and Kristin Carpenter, whose credits include Khalid, Jisoo of Blackpink, Alan Walker and Afrojack.
Watts' latest release, the Space EP, dropped in May and features the song Growing Pains, written in Stockholm after what he described as 'a quarter-life crisis'.
In the trailer, Watts is heard saying: 'We've got a lot of work to do vocally.'
Smith is no stranger to music competitions, having first appeared on Australian Idol in 2019 at just 16, joining Guy Sebastian's team. He returned to the competition last year, auditioning with Classic by MKTO.
In the Building The Band trailer, Smith appears briefly, featured resting his head on his microphone and showing off his hand tattoos.
Production on the series paused in October following Payne's death. It will now air with the blessing of his family.
The show is produced by Remarkable Entertainment, part of Banijay UK, the company behind Deal Or No Deal, Survivor UK and MasterChef.
7NEWS.com.au understands a third Australian musician will also feature on Building The Band, with their identity to be revealed when the series premieres on Netflix on July 9.
Netflix also unveiled the trailer for its new docu-reality series Hitmakers this week.
Set to premiere on July 24, the six-episode series offers a rare look inside the songwriting process, featuring some of the world's top music creators.
The line-up includes Jenna Andrews (BTS, Benee, Little Mix), Tommy Brown (Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Meghan Trainor), Trey Campbell (John Legend, BANKS, Guy Sebastian), Ferras (Katy Perry), Harv (Justin Bieber, Normani, Skrillex), Ben Johnson (Morgan Wallen, Weezer, Justin Timberlake), Stephen Kirk (BTS, Jessie Murph), JHart (Justin Bieber, Troye Sivan, Little Mix), Whitney Phillips (Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo), Sevyn Streeter (Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland) and Nova Wav (Beyoncé, Rihanna).

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Holly Valance splits from husband after 13 years
Holly Valance splits from husband after 13 years

Courier-Mail

time32 minutes ago

  • Courier-Mail

Holly Valance splits from husband after 13 years

Don't miss out on the headlines from Hook Ups & Break Ups. Followed categories will be added to My News. Former Neighbours star Holly Valance and UK billionaire Nick Candy are divorcing after 13 years of marriage. Friends told The Sun that the Australian actress and singer had split from her property tycoon husband in recent weeks. Right-wing glamour couple Holly, 42, and Nick, 52, were last photographed together in March, heading out for lunch in London. A family friend said: 'This has been a very difficult period for both Nick and Holly, and they are keeping things private out of respect for their family. The pair were going through a 'difficult period'. Picture:'The joint parenting of their two amazing daughters remains their top priority. They've had to juggle a demanding lifestyle. Between family, public life, and Nick's intense work commitments, it's been a tough balance. 'This is a family matter and they're doing their best to handle things thoughtfully. Privacy is obviously very important to them both, so they can focus on what's best for the family.' Holly Valance and Nick Candy have split. Picture: Ricky Vigil/GC Images Nick, who is the treasurer of Nigel Farage's Reform, met Holly in 2009 and proposed two years later. They married in 2012 in a £3million California ceremony in front of 300 guests, including Simon Cowell. Holly found fame on Neighbours as Felicity 'Flick' Scully before launching a career as a pop star. Her 2002 debut album Footprints spawned three hits, including Kiss Kiss, which went to No 1. Nick started his property business with brother Christian in the early 1990s while working in advertising. They met back in 2009. Picture: Neil Mockford/GC Images The pair now have a vast portfolio, including One Hyde Park — made up of 86 luxury apartments in central London — worth just over £1billion. Last year, Nick announced he had shunned his Conservative Party membership in favour of Reform. He was appointed as the party's treasurer in December and pledged to raise tens of millions for Mr Farage, including giving a seven-figure sum himself. Holly has become a high-profile figure in right-wing politics. She visited US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 with her husband and Mr Farage. She also attended former Tory PM Boris Johnson's wedding in 2021. She first appeared in Neighbours back in the early 2000s. Picture: Supplied And she is credited with encouraging Mr Farage to run for Parliament. On her political views, she said last year: 'Everyone starts off as a leftie and then wakes up at some point after making money, working, trying to run a business, trying to buy a home, then realises what crap ideas they all are.' A spokesman for the couple said: 'This is a private matter and we will not be making any further comment.' This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced here with permission. Originally published as Holly Valance splits from husband after 13 years

Spoiler alert! Here's the huge Australian A-lister that appears in the Squid Game finale
Spoiler alert! Here's the huge Australian A-lister that appears in the Squid Game finale

Courier-Mail

time7 hours ago

  • Courier-Mail

Spoiler alert! Here's the huge Australian A-lister that appears in the Squid Game finale

Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News. ****Spoilers for the new season of Squid Game follow**** The season finale of Squid Game season 3 features the cameo of a huge Australian Hollywood star. The one and only Cate Blanchett makes a surprise appearance in the final scene of the hit Korean thriller as a recruiter for the deadly competition. Picking up in the wake of a failed revolution, the final season of the Asian version of the hugely popular show follows the struggle between Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who's determined to take down the games once and for all, and Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who desperately wants to break Gi-hun's faith in humanity. Korean veteran actor Lee Jung-jae returns as Gi-hun in the final season. In the final scene of the show, Front Man finds himself in a car in Downtown Los Angeles, and while stopped at a light, he hears some familiar sounds: the thwap of two ddakji tiles hitting the ground followed by the sharp crack of a slap across the face. Front Man rolls down his window and sees a suited Blanchett playing ddakji with a seemingly desperate man in an alleyway. Blanchett looks up and exchanges a knowing glance with Front Man, who pulls away as Blanchett's attention returns to her new recruit. 'We thought having a woman as a recruiter would be more dramatic and intriguing,' said Squid Game Director Hwang Dong-hyuk. 'And as for why Cate Blanchett, she's just the best, with unmatched charisma. Who doesn't love her? So we were very happy to have her appear. We needed someone who could dominate the screen with just one or two words, which is exactly what she did,' he continued. Cate Blanchett makes an appearance in the finale. Picture: Netflix. The final scene of the series sets up the spin-off. Picture: Netflix. 'If Gong Yoo is the Korean Recruiter, I thought she would be the perfect fit as the American Recruiter, bringing a short but gripping and impactful ending to the story.' He went on to reveal that Blanchett had very limited time to film the cameo, so much so that she shot the entire thing in one take. 'During the shoot, she reminded me of what true talent looks like. Even with just a few looks and lines, her performance was mesmerising,' he shared. 'She was amazing at playing ddakji. I believe she successfully flipped the ddakji with her first try, and we were able to get that one long take right away.' But what exactly does Blanchett's cameo mean for the future of the show? Quite a bit, it turns out, considering where Netflix plans on taking the franchise next. Season 3 is the last for the Asian version of Squid Game, but it's far from over. An English-language spin-off is being developed by director David Finch, who has previously worked with Blanchett on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Blanchett's appearance raises numerous questions, however, like have the Games always had international counterparts or have they been forced to move them after they were nearly discovered by authorities at the end of the final season? Squid Game season 3 is available to stream now on Netflix. Originally published as Spoiler alert! Here's the huge Australian A-lister that appears in the Squid Game finale

Neighbours star Holly Valance and UK reform billionaire Nick Candy divorce after 13 years of marriage
Neighbours star Holly Valance and UK reform billionaire Nick Candy divorce after 13 years of marriage

7NEWS

time7 hours ago

  • 7NEWS

Neighbours star Holly Valance and UK reform billionaire Nick Candy divorce after 13 years of marriage

Australian singer and former Neighbours star Holly Valance and UK billionaire Nick Candy, a key figure in the Reform UK party, have separated after 13 years of marriage. Friends told The Sun that the couple, who married in 2012, recently split following a challenging period balancing family life, public commitments, and Nick's demanding work schedule. Despite the separation, the pair remain focused on co-parenting their two daughters. Nick Candy, 52, is a property tycoon and treasurer of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. He met Holly, 42, in 2009 and proposed two years later. The couple tied the knot in a lavish $6.3 million ceremony in Beverly Hills, California, attended by 300 guests including Simon Cowell. Holly first rose to fame as Felicity 'Flick' Scully on Neighbours before launching a pop career with hits like the chart-topping 'Kiss Kiss.' Nick began his property business with his brother Christian in the early 1990s and now holds a vast portfolio including the luxury One Hyde Park development in London, valued at over $2 billion AUD. In March Last year, Valance made headlines with a viral interview in which she spoke candidly about her political views and high-profile connections, further cementing her role as a prominent figure in Britain's conservative circles. Loading TikTok Post Valance spoke openly about her shift to conservative politics the month earlier, saying, 'Everyone starts off as a leftie and then wakes up at some point after making money, working, trying to run a business, trying to buy a home, then realises what crap ideas they all are.' Her candid remarks about her political evolution quickly went viral. In her sit-down interview with GB News' Political Podcast hosted by Chris Hope, nothing was off the table for discussion, from controversial climate activist Greta Thurnberg to Australia's 'wokeness' and COVID hard borders to praising Donald Trump. On Greta, she said: 'I don't understand why you have this, like, demonic little gremlin high priestess of climatism as the goddess in classrooms, Greta (Thunberg). 'And the kids are all coming home with depression and anxiety. Why would you go to your music lesson or bother doing your homework or get out of bed if you think we're all going to be dead in five years anyway? I mean, 'They told me in class, Greta told me'. 'Why would you bother, it doesn't give anybody hope.' On Australia, she criticised Down Under for how 'woke' it had gone and said she had no plans to return. 'I'll get a ticket within the first two hours of arriving, doing something, parking in the wrong place, going one K over the 30 or 25 K speed limit,' she said. 'The Australia I grew up in was unreal. It was so fun, and we didn't seem to have all these problems. The woke stuff's really gone big in Australia.' She even got stuck into the Australian school curriculum. 'I don't think children and sexuality should be in the same sentence,' she said. 'You don't know about mine, I don't know about yours, why would we? 'That stuff really irks me'. Valance claimed she missed her sister's wedding because of Australia's COVID lockdown. She also revealed she was an anti-vaxxer. 'If you are fit and healthy, you should be fine, your body will know what to do,' she said. Valance was sighted alongside former president Donald Trump in 2022, describing him as 'extremely warm, extremely gentlemanly'. She argued that people needed to 'harden up', particularly in regards to his often polarising remarks about women. 'People say nasty things all day,' she said. 'I have had disgusting things said to me … Did I cry? No.' At first, the social media pile-on against Holly Valance was swift. 'The vile opinions of a washed-up soap star, one-hit wonder, out-of-touch billionaire's wife,' was the kind of stuff tweeted fast and furious. But, then, it emerged she had just as many supporters. 'Holly Valance is speaking nothing but the truth,' was the kind of stuff being tweeted just as fast and just as furious. Both Holly and Nick have been influential in right-wing politics. Nick left the Conservative Party last year to join Reform UK, pledging to raise millions for the party. Holly has also become a prominent figure in conservative circles, attending high-profile events such as Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago and Boris Johnson's wedding. A family friend said: 'This has been a very difficult period for both Nick and Holly, and they are keeping things private out of respect for their family. The joint parenting of their two amazing daughters remains their top priority.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store