Guitar Center has announced Kate Brady, a Boulder CO native, as the winner of the fifth-annual Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter artist discovery program. As the winner, Brady will receive a career-boosting package that includes the opportunity to record a four-song EP with Grammy-winning producer Ariel Rechtshaid, mentorship from fok singer-songwriter City and Colour, a performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, $25,000 in cash, a showcase performance on the Grand plaza Stage at the 2017 NAMM Show, new musical equipment and more.
Out of nearly 14,000 entries this year, five finalists were selected to perform live at the grand finals event on March 4 at the Troubadour in Hollywood CA. It was hosted by established singer-songwriter Clara C. Following an opening performance by last year’s Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter winner Lanita Smith, in collaboration with Jessica Sanchez from “American Idol”, the five finalists took to the stage to perform their craft live in front of an audience and judges. City and Colour entertained the crowd with a special, intimate performance as program judge Ariel Rechtshaid deliberated and, ultimately, named Brady the winner.
“Thank you so much again to Guitar Center and everyone involved for making this possible,” Brady said. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have been selected by such a team of musical geniuses. With their help, I can’t wait to make my artistic goals a reality.”