Kyle Bryant awarded ABIA Queensland’s Best Live Wedding Musician

A young Bayside muso who started off playing to friends on Stradbroke Island has won a prestigious wedding entertainer award. READ HIS TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Kyle Bryant has been voted Qld’s best wedding entertainer.

A young musician who began his career as a young teenager playing on North Stradbroke Island has won a prestigious Queensland wedding entertainer award.

Kyle Bryant, 23, picked up the ABIA Queensland’s Best Live Wedding Musician Award on Thursday, November 30, an achievement he described as an honour.

The winner was selected from one year’s worth of reviews from newlyweds who rated performance, professionalism and contribution to their special day.

“I was amazed to find out I received a 99.9 out of 100 rating from the 80 weddings I had played at, from October 2022 to October 2023,” he said.

“To be nominated among so many entertainers I have admired from back when I started to get into weddings was pretty surreal.’’

Bryant received a 99.9 out of 100 rating from the 80 weddings he played at this year.

Bryant started performing music as an original artist at the age of 12 and transitioned to singing professionally at weddings in 2020.

“I did a one-off wedding years ago and then it started to grow when I invested the time into making it a business … I invested in a professional website, gathered hundreds of songs that guests of all ages enjoy and shot videos to showcase what I do,” he said.

“At a wedding I play ballads at the ceremony, upbeat and sunshine type songs while the canapes are out and then hype it up and DJ at the reception, into the night.

“I make sure to play songs that appeal to guests of all ages … I play Frank Sinatra to Macklemore, where I rap.

“You have to have a set that little kids, teenagers and all the way to grandparents can get into.’’

Although he has played corporate events, bars, pubs and clubs, Bryant said his favourite gigs were weddings.

“It’s such a special occasion and I love being among all the guests who are more than happy to be there,” he said.

“I have a consult with couples to cater the music to them so I will ask where they had their first kiss and if there was a song playing, or where they got engaged … I learn two songs per gig that is especially sentimental to their relationship.

“The tunes that get the crowds going are without a doubt ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond and ‘Can’t Hold Us’ by Macklemore … I have gotten more into DJing in recent years which means I can play for the whole event,” he said.

Bryant says he has a ball at weddings.

His “passion project” was to write and produce original music under his stage name, Kyland, inspired by the sounds of Vance Joy and Lauv.

“I have been working on a catalogue of songs over the past year I am so excited to release very soon,” he said.

His top tips for an artist trying to break into the competitive wedding industry including having a professional website which accurately represented the sound and personality, as well as some quality videos so couples could “see what you can do”.

“Being able to confidently play a three to four-hour set of mixed genre songs is a must, as well as investing time in your social media so potential clients can easily search you up,” he said.

If you would like to learn more about Queensland’s newest, best live wedding entertainer, click here.