Don West

DON WEST is set to release his highly anticipated debut and self-titled EP, ‘DON WEST’, on the 27th of November.
The 6 song EP features 3 new songs for fans, and follows a break-out year for DON WEST as the artist experienced a meteoric rise in 2024:
• He generated 8 million streams across all streaming platforms, with ’Small Change’ and ‘Rather Be Lonely’ generating 3.4M+ and 2.2M+ Spotify streams each • He sold out his first Australian tour almost immediately after announcing it, months in advance of the shows.
• His Spotify monthly listeners have grown from ~3,000 to 702K+ (as at 15 November 2024)
• His Spotify followers have grown from 1,520 to 31,895 across the year (up 1,902%) • His Instagram following has grown from 5,116 to 46,200 across the year • His YouTube subscriber count has grown from 275 to 5,100 across the year
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The EP was recorded on the South Coast of New South Wales, produced in entirety by Nathan Hawes (who has previously produced for Surely Shirley, Kesmar, Lazywax and more). This marks a continuation of the duo’s creative collaboration, with Nathan producing the entirety of DON WEST’s upcoming debut album, to be released throughout 2025.
The EP borrows influence from classic blues, soul, gospel and mo-town music from the 1960s and 1970s, being recorded entirely on tape and with analogue recording techniques that were utilised in those eras. Together, DON WEST and Nathan Hawes cut no corners — using vintage microphones and pre-amps, a real brass section and choir vocals from twin sisters Jenaya Okpalanze & Anisha Okpalanze (aka Surely Shirley). In doing so, DON WEST is flying the flag within Australia for the current soul music renaissance that is happening globally, as spearheaded internationally by artists such as Jalen Ngonda, Leon Bridges, Thee Sacred Souls and Durand Jones.
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The EP will be supported with the below promotion:
• Paid social media advertising (mainly Instagram and TikTok), pushing traffic to DSPs. • On-platform Spotify promotion (e.g. Marquees and Showcases)
• In-house radio and media pitching by Mandatory Music.
• 60X short-form videos to be shared across TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts. • The sale of vinyls (300 units ordered) and artist t-shirts.
• An Australia-wide tour in Q1 of 2025.
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Other accolades from 2024 include:
• ‘Small Change’, his May release, climbed to #32 in Spotify’s Australian ‘Viral 50’ charts, indicating that fans were sharing the song en masse. This was one of only three Australian songs in the playlist at that time.
• Heavy editorial play listing support from Spotify, being placed in: Coffee + Chill, Lazy Sunday, Indie Chillout, Fresh Finds AU&NZ, The Office Stereo, Fresh Finds, New Music Friday AU&NZ, Rarities, Alt Here, Front Page Indie, Indie Arrivals, Coastal Drive, The Local List, The New Retro, Brekkie Time, RADAR AU&NZ and self care.
• Being placed #1 in – and the cover of – Fresh Finds AU&NZ for his latest single, ‘Friends’.
• Apple Music has likewise placed his music in: New Music Daily, New in Alternative, New in Indie, The Late Night Menu and The New Rock.
• Significant radio support from Australia’s key tastemaker, triple j. ‘Small Change’ and ‘Friends’ were added to full rotation, with both of those singles (and ‘Rather Be Lonely’) being added to a full rotation on triple j Unearthed.
• Considerable international radio support, including plays from BBC6 (UK), KCRW (USA), J-WAVE (Japan), Radio Raße (Switzerland), Light FM (Lebanon), EiTB Radio Euskadi (Spain), Sud Radio (France), RTBF International (Belgium), BN Mallorca (Spain) and more.
• ‘Rather Be Lonely’ landed in Deezer’s algorithmic ‘Top Lithuania’ playlist, with ‘Small Change’ landing in Shazam’s Top 100 Charts for Australia.
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2024 also had a number of live music wins for DON WEST:
• He sold out his debut Australian tour months out from the shows, with 2X sold-out shows in Sydney, 1X sold-out show in Brisbane, 1X sold-out show in Wollongong and 1X sold-out show in Melbourne.
• He was selected to showcase at SXSW in Sydney.
• He is performing at Lost Paradise Festival in NSW, Australia, on New Years Eve.
• He had his debut international performance in Wuhu, China, in April 2024 as a guest for car company Chery for their Global Convention.
• He has performed at corporate events for Cartier, Neil Perry and R.M. Williams.
• He supported Australian band Sons of the East on a 40-date tour across Australia from February – April 2024.
• He has previously supported Australian indie icons Lime Cordiale, Pacific Avenue and played nationwide festival performances with Hot Dub Wine Machine.
• He has previously sold out headline shows at Sydney venues the Metro Lair, The Oxford Art Factory, The Lansdowne and The Vanguard.
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DON WEST has also had a number of brand collaborations and co-signs over the years: • He has previously modelled for R.M. Williams, Christian Kimber, Rollas Jeans and more. • He performed at Sydney Fashion Week 2023 as part of Christian Kimber showcase. —————