Why Sheppard's Success Didn't Happen Overnight

At a glance, the harmony-driven pop-rock group Sheppard looked to be one of our biggest overnight success stories, with their single Let Me Down Easy earning platinum status in Australia. However, as most musicians would know, a lot of hard work came before the success.

“It's really tough to break into the Australian music scene,” relays frontman George Sheppard. “Triple j does a great job of breaking new artists, but for a pop band I think it's particularly difficult because you can't get onto commercial radio without having a hit, and you can't have a hit without being on commercial radio.”

When they didn't receive the recognition they were hoping for in the early stages, Sheppard explains, “We went on a trip around the world and played to a bunch of different cultures, and we found there was some resonance along the way, particularly in Portland. They were the first city to put us on commercial radio – that was a huge deal. Then we came back and shared our story with Australia, and everything fell into place after that.”

The group's initial leap of faith has since been rewarded tenfold, which Sheppard still finds amazing. “Recently we got to perform at Suncorp Stadium, and it felt like a dream! We were in the middle of a field and you couldn't make out anyone's face so it didn't feel like you were performing to anyone, but there were 30,000 people watching and it was being televised – it was unreal.”

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