Fifty nine talented buskers from across Auckland and even as far as Hamilton descended on LynnMall Shopping Centre and Botany Town Centre over the weekend for a chance to win a special busking licence to perform during the Christmas shopping period. Renowned talent scout and music producer Gray Bartlett was the lead judge of the competition and awarded busking licences to 42 outstanding performers.

One lucky busker in particular stood out from the rest. When Michael Murray heard about the busking competition at his local mall, he knew he had to be there for his chance to be discovered. The talented individual was second off the block at the audition and captured the audience as he stepped off stage to serenade the seated guests. His pitch-perfect vocals and guitar work also impressed lead judge Gray Bartlett, who has offered Michael the chance to record a track on his new CD, to be released next year.

“From the moment Michael stepped onto the stage, I knew he was going to deliver an excellent performance,” says Mr Bartlett. “His personality shone through and vocals were strong – he was the whole package.”

Gray Bartlett’s CD will be a collaboration of some of New Zealand’s top artists, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A special mention was also given to the talented duo Mike & Shay, who wowed Mr Bartlett with their seamless acoustic guitar performance. Their tenacity on stage and raw talent impressed Gray so much that he has kindly offered one of his own valuable guitars to one of the duo, whose talent is sure to soar with the use of a quality instrument.

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“It is great to see the top prize go to someone from West Auckland,” says LynnMall Marketing Manager Linh Luong. “Not only did the spotlight shine on Michael and Mike & Shay, but it did on all of the other participants at the Lynnmall audition. We were so impressed with the West Auckland talent, that we awarded all our participants a busking license.”

Botany Town Centre Marketing Manager Desiree Clark says the competition showcased some amazing talent from the local community and beyond. “The number of registrations received and the calibre of talent was overwhelming. We look forward to sharing the amazing busking talent with our shoppers during the festive season.”

Michael Murray and Mike & Shay will join 20 other performers selected to busk at LynnMall over the Christmas shopping period, from 16 to 24 December. Twenty buskers have also been selected to perform at Botany Town Centre from 15 to 24 December.

ENDS

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