March 2017 THE CANBERRA REPORTER | 7
ENTERTAINMENT
Recording label cum talent agency finally in the groove
IT TOOK A DECADE TO PULL OFF , BUT IT ’ S HERE
IT HAS been a decade in the making for the hip-hop impresario and business entrepreneur Marco Selorio .
This month , Sovereign Hill Records Sydneybased record label and talent agency goes fullsteam ahead .
The concept came along in 2006 , when the young entrepreneur organised his second Urbanstar Talent Quest .
Dreams of building a new home for a wave of fresh , young talent were in the pipeline .
Selorio ( in picture ) at the time discovered some raw but dazzling performers including rappers Natz Blazin , MC Tuppz and Regal who would later on become Iggy Azalea .
The idea came to a crushing halt when other parties became involved , and Selorio walked away .
Over the next decade , Selorio ’ s events business grew rapidly . Hip-hop dance competitions , more talent quests , and basketball tours .
But new talent kept coming and going , including the likes of William Singe , Jai
Waetford , TKay Maidza , Ylona Garcia , Sarah Ellen and Cyrus Villanueva . It was evident that Selorio and his team kept striking gold but failed to provide a home .
“ Young talent need a good place that can help them with their artistry , unlock their full potential and serve their best interests ,” Selorio said .
“ It took me a long time to put the right team together .
“ That ’ s why I felt now was the right time to create our own record label . “ Now or never .”
The Sovereign Hill name was derived from a museum in Ballarat , Victoria , depicting the town ’ s glorious decade after the discovery of gold in 1851 .
“ In many ways , Sovereign Hill Records is a place where we hope to discover hidden gems and develop future stars ,” Selorio said .
International tours are being planned for May , August and December .
New music and videos will be recorded at the newly decked home studio , and the talent agency arm is now accepting bookings .
Selorio will open an office in Manila to cater for the South East Asian market . •