Finglas rapper for 'Star Nation' final

'DALY' - a rap artist from Finglas - is the Leinster provincial finalist of a new all-Ireland competition giving aspiring songwriters and musicians a chance to win €3,000 of music gear, a recording session in one of Ireland’s most famous studios and a chance to play a showcase gig at a top Irish venue has been announced.
‘Star Nation’, the brainchild of Irish-owned pizza chain Four Star Pizza, asked musicians across the island of Ireland to submit one original song for a unique opportunity to grab themselves a slice of success, increase their profile, and win some very tasty prizes.
DALY (real name Aaron Daly) started performing when he was 16 in and around the Temple Bar area, and since January of this year he has been gigging regularly and putting on live shows to bring his sound to the masses. 
He describes his winning track ‘Everything will be OK’ as being about decisions, “It’s about making the decision between hard work and distractions, between quick money or alcohol, or whatever else, and working hard and having faith that it will pay off for you. For me, it’s really about fighting those distractions and believing the work will pay off.”
DALY has taken a socially conscious approach to his music following the deaths of close friends and is donating all proceeds from ‘Everything will be OK’ to Pieta House. Money from his upcoming single ‘Eliminate’ which will be available on Spotify from August 20 will also go to suicide prevention charity, Skate Against Suicide.  
Speaking about what it feels like to be named as a finalist in the competition, DALY said: “It feels like hard work paying off. No matter what, you can’t give up. You just need to put in the hard work, put the time in, and don’t give up.”
DALY along with Riley Holland, Turnstiles and Clara Belle, the provincial finalists from Ulster, Connacht, and Munster, will now receive a one-day recording session at the renowned Windmill Lane Recording Studios, famous for recording world-famous acts such as David Bowie, Lady Gaga, U2, and The Rolling Stones, and will go on to play at the grand final showcase gig on September 29 at one of Dublin’s best known live venues, Whelan’s, which has hosted the likes of Ed Sheeran, Nick Cave, Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons and Hozier in the past.
At the live final an overall winner will then be revealed who will pick up a cheque for €3,000 of musical equipment from renowned Irish music store MusicMaker, described by Glen Hansard as ‘a vital artery in the Dublin rock scene’ and the place where famous acts like U2, Blondie, Muse, Manic Street Preachers and The National come to browse when they’re in town. 
“We were completely overwhelmed by the number of entries we received from local songwriters and musicians, and I think it’s fair to say that despite our small size the island of Ireland is still one of the best places in the world for original musical talent,” said Four Star Pizza Communications Executive Christina Hamilton. “I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who entered Star Nation and to congratulate DALY who will now receive a recording session at Windmill Lane before playing at our grand final showcase gig in Whelan’s on September 29th where the overall winner will be announced. 
“We’ll be posting each act’s track on our social media pages over the next few days, so keep an eye out and get voting for Ireland’s first Star Nation winner!”, she added. 
Music fans across the island of Ireland can now listen to each track and vote for their favourite act to be crowned overall winner by going to Four Star Pizza’s social media pages or by using the voucher code Star 1 for Ulster, Star 2 for Connacht, Star 3 for Leinster, or Star 4 for Munster when making their next order.
Voting closes on Thursday 26th September with the overall winner being announced at Whelan’s on 29th September.