Ne-yo, T-Pain

By Bridget Cook
LOCAL urban music duo Phinesse will soon add Ne-yo and T-Pain to the list of international artists they have performed alongside.
Georges Abela, from Lynbrook, and his first cousin David Devine, from Dandenong, are the support act for the Australian Winterbeatz tour, which will perform in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Phinesse will warm-up the crowd on the tour for Ne-yo, T-Pain, Big Boi from the hip-hop group OutKast and Fatman Scoop.
These are not the first big names the duo has supported. They performed as the warm-up act for rapper 50 Cent in 2008 and wowed crowds at Akon’s Australian tour last year.
Mr Abela, 27, said Winterbeatz was a great opportunity to showcase their talent on the big stage.
“Once again, it’s a privilege to be involved with such big headline acts,” he said.
The boys were born in New Zealand and raised in the South East suburbs. They formed Phinesse about five years ago and have since had great success.
They are set to release their promo single ‘I Just Wanna’ to iTunes in August. Mr Abela said they were trying a new sound with their new music.
“It’s got a more dance feel, but it’s still got that Phinesse style and our own stamp on it,” he said.
Mr Abela said they would perform mostly new material on the Winterbeatz tour.
“Come down to Winterbeatz, it’s going to be a great night,” he said.
The Winterbeatz tour will perform at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday 29 July. Tickets are available through Ticketek. For further details, visit www.phinesse.com.