Ezereve and Reilly Craig have never formally studied music — or anything for that matter!
Yet the unqualified duo, known as Champagne, recently received first place in the Australian Wedding Awards for live entertainment. Ezereve, a 35-year-old mum of four from Chittering Valley, and Reilly from Willagee, aged 30, met online through the Perth wedding industry and formed their acoustic duo during the first COVID lockdown of 2020.
In 2021 they were booked for over 100 weddings, the most weddings they had ever performed at in one year. Ezereve, who had never had singing lessons, was rejected by a Perth music school and was told that she wasn’t good enough to attend their school when she auditioned in grade 10. Reilly had also been told that he needed to ‘sound different’ to succeed as a live musician.
The duo proved their critics wrong, and are now passionate about empowering Perth teenagers and young adults with the knowledge to succeed as a live musician through their Gig School enterprise. They started Champagne Agency, which provides world class talent for Perth weddings and events. What is unique about their agency is that you can instantly book musicians online! For more information head to www.champagneduo.com.au.
