Intricate finger-style guitar and dreamy vocals reflect the deeply contemplative and evocative lyrics of Melbourne’s Ernest Aines.

A multi-award winning songwriter, noting over a decade of experience, Ernest’s uniquely pure and thoughtful sound has enchanted both fans and critics across the globe.

Ernest’s journey began with busking on the streets of Melbourne, and progressed to him gracing the stages of celebrated events like The Port Fairy Folk Festival, Rockhampton Riverfest, and Canberra’s Floriade Nightfest, and The Australian Open. He has appeared on stage at Ararat Live, The Palais Theatre, and Northern Arts Hotel, and his indie-folk styling and unique vocal delicacy has been compared to James Taylor, Jeff Buckley, Ray Lamontagne and Bon Iver.

In 2021, Ernest was selected for the Sounds Australia Folk Alliance International Showcase, and Global Music Match, achievements that would see his presence within modern folk grow exponentially in the months to follow.

Ernest’s highly anticipated debut album, Spiral Bound, was released in September 2023, a project that was five years in the making. Previously released singles from the album – ‘So Far’, ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘Rigged Games’ – have amassed thousands of streams and received high rotation on ABC Radio, Double J and ABC Country.

Ernest has taken home multiple awards for songwriting over the years, beginning with an Apollo Bay Festival Young Songwriter Competition win back in 2010. He has since noted finalist positions at the International Songwriting Competition (2013), the Melbourne Songwriting Competition (2016) and the Australian Songwriting Awards (2021), along with another win in 2020 for the City of Melbourne Online Song Competition. 2020 also saw him earn the runner-up position in the Cygnet Folk Festival Song Awards.

Ernest’s commitment to captivating live audiences has evolved to unrivalled levels, thanks to his consistency and unwavering skill for the process. This year he has played at the huge St Kilda Festival, taken up the offer of the Folk Alliance International Official Showcase in Kansas City, USA, and was honoured to perform for the Library of Congress Archive.