Melbourne-bred one-man prodigy Gab Strum, aka Japanese Wallpaper, has taken out the 2014 triple j Unearthed High competition, staving off some of the best young musicians from around the country to claim the top prize.
The 17-year-old Leibler Yavneh College student shot to renown as one of the featured artists on the soundtrack for Zach Braff’s new film, Wish I Was Here, with his track Breathe In, featuring Wafia, and praise from industry heavyweights such as Gotye, Chet Faker, Bertie Blackman and Bombay Bicycle Club doing much to assert the upstart’s presence as a genuine concern to be vigilantly watched.
“Gab's been sharing his music through triple j Unearthed since he was 14 years old and it's been incredible to watch him develop into an artist that makes clever, bold music,” Unearthed music director Dave Ruby Howe said in a statement. “It kills me that he's only 17 and has such control of his sound. He's an overachieving superstar and he richly deserves the crown as the winner of Unearthed High 2014.”
Japanese Wallpaper pipped fellow young luminaries Hockey Dad, Azura, Daybreak, Baro and Lupa J to take out the competition, and now joins acts such as Tom Ugly (formerly [is]), Howl, Stonefield (formerly Iotah), the now-defunct Snakadaktal, Tasmanian soloist Asta and last year’s victors Lunatics On Pogoticks among the winners’ hall of fame.
He’ll now use the win to enjoy the spoils of victory, which include a stint at triple j studios to record a track for airplay on both the main triple j station and triple j Unearthed digital channel, and get to play alongside Seth Sentry at a concert for his school.
Have a listen to the track that captured the world’s attention, below, and start preparing for the next coating of Wallpaper bound for your ears in the near future.
