Music mad TY students compete for pop work placement

A monaghan pupil is amongst eight music mad, ambitious and hardworking Irish transition year students on the challenge of a lifetime –to take part in a new seven part series which sees them get a weekly backstage pass to meet and work with some of the biggest names in the music industry. 

Tasked each week by top Irish tour manager and Louis Walsh’s right hand man Liam McKenna, the challenges see contestants get face to face, access all areas pop bands such as The Saturdays, who set and judge each of the weekly challenges.

One of the competitors is Sonya O’Brien from Carrickmacross, who attends St Louis Secondary School. Sonya is described as a very happy-go lucky kind of character and is a big believer in hard work saying, ‘laziness gets you no where’. 

Sonya works as a waitress part time, she’s been involved in the scouts all her life and is also part of the Born to Perform Stage School.

Challenges for Sonya and the other competitors include producing a music video for ‘District 3’ and creating merchandise for ‘The Wanted’ amongst others, while Louis Walsh sets and judges a media challenge. The final two teenagers battle it out while managing JLS at an Irish Summer festival with JLS selecting the ultimate winner.

“For a young person, this is a great opportunity” says Liam McKenna.
“They’re going to see both sides of the business. This is going to open their eyes to what it’s really like.”
Every week one of our competitors must leave the competition and hand back their access all areas pass.  There is only one ultimate winner, securing a work placement with Liam McKenna on a top gig in Miami.