Aloft Hotels announces the winner of its global music-related initiative “Project: Aloft Star” at Aloft Long Island City in NYC. Mentored by Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum-selling artist Gavin DeGraw, the winning indie-folk-rock duo, The Bergamot will be able to kick-start their career by appearing as part of the upcoming Live at Aloft Hotels Tour.
The Aloft Star competition identifies the hottest emerging music talent from around the globe, offering them a chance to kick-start their careers and take center stage at the world’s fastest-growing hotel brand. Imagine their surprise when husband and wife Jillian Speece and Nathaniel Hoff, who make up The Bergamot, learned of their success at a nail-biting finale performance last night at Aloft Long Island City, one of the brand’s newest properties in New York City. The Bergamot and runner-up pop/soul artist, Gigi Rich, were both given the opportunity to perform for the crowd following a special mentoring session led by Project: Aloft Star’s 2017 celebrity mentor, multi-platinum recording artist Gavin DeGraw.
"The Bergamot are authentic touring artists. They should be extremely proud of winning this year's Project: Aloft Star," said mentor and singer/songwriter, Gavin DeGraw. "It's great see artists who've honed their craft through live performance succeed. Really enjoyed my time with them today. Thanks to Aloft Hotels for making it happen."
The two finalists were chosen after a process that began in August that invited any unsigned artist to share up to two original songs, a brief description, and an artist photo on the Live at Aloft Hotels web page. Out of over 1200 submissions, entries were narrowed down to five semi-finalists that the public were then invited to view and vote on during a ten-day period to choose the two that would perform at the finale.
“With so many strong entries, it’s such an honor to be named this year’s Project: Aloft Star winner,” said Jillian Speece and Nathaniel Hoff of The Bergamot. “It’s always been our dream to make it in the music industry and we’re so grateful to Aloft Hotels for giving us the opportunity to take a step towards achieving that goal. This competition means that becoming a big music star is within reach to anyone, and we’d strongly encourage other musicians like ourselves to take the plunge and submit an entry – it could change your life.”
Beyond the honor of the 2017 title, The Bergamot’s prize includes a songwriting and recording session in a professional studio with renowned producer Darrell Brown, who has previously worked with names including LeAnn Rimes, Neil Young and Keith Urban. The pair will also get a coaching session with a publicist to help craft their story, and finally the chance to perform onstage as part of the 2018 Live At Aloft Hotels Tour.
Live at Aloft Hotels is an international program that brings in local sounds to Aloft properties around the world by hosting free, intimate, live music performances at its W XYZ® bars. Alongside several local emerging artists, this year’s lineup included notable performers like acoustic singer MAX, country star Drake White, and LA-based blues performer ZZ Ward.
Learn More About The Project: Aloft Star
For a complete list of all 2017 performances, please visit www.LiveAtAloftHotels.com.
Photo Credits: Project: Aloft Star
