Kiwi Ethan Baldey (aka Baldie) has won the 2022 Monstercat Mix Contest, an international online event providing music creatives with the opportunity to showcase their talent on a global stage.

Baldey was one of eight finalists put through their paces by completing six challenges judged on creativity, originality, mixing ability and genre balance.

“The contest was tough. All the other finalists were so incredibly talented and had their own unique style, I really felt like I had to pull out all the stops to even stand a chance against them. This was my fourth attempt and the first music-related contest I’ve ever won, so I’m super stoked to have something this big be my first win,” he says.

Born in Whakatane, Baldey attended Whakatane High School, going on to recently graduate from Massey University with a Bachelor of Commercial Music majoring in technology. The 21-year old plays alto sax, flute, drums, bass and a ‘spot’ of the trombone.

“My parents were always super supportive and encouraged music lessons as a child. I had some great teachers along the way, including Alison Derbyshire who taught me the fundamentals of music, and Chris Slabbert who introduced me to Acid Xpress which was the first software I ever used to mess around with audio in a digital space.”