Griffith guitar hero wins global competition

Guitarist of The Year Finalists 2019 - UK Guitar Show 2019

Queensland Conservatorium guitar virtuoso Dylan Reavey has been crowned Guitar World’s 2019 Guitarist of the Year at a star-studded event in London.

The Bachelor of Music graduate won kudos from a panel of celebrity judges, including five-time Grammy Award winner Steve Lukather.

Rising to the challenge

Dylan Reavey at the Guitarist of The Year finals in London.

Dylan performed his own composition, King Aura, an epic 4-minute guitar-shredder that wowed fans at the UK Guitar Show. He perfected the song in the lead-up to the finals, drilling it every day for up to eight hours.

“I like to set myself a challenge, so I write stuff I can’t play and then spend months learning it,” he said.

“I was really nervous before the finals – I’ve never performed one of my own pieces live before, and the stakes were so high.

“The fact that I won still feels a little bit surreal to me, it’s such an honour.”

Social media stardom

Dylan has attracted a growing following online, where his fans include some of his childhood guitar heroes.

“I’m constantly surprised that people are tuning in to listen to my stuff,” he said.

“It is so cool to have people I’ve looked up to following me on YouTube and Instagram.

“I think social media has made it so easy to share your work, and it’s really given me a platform.”

Simply the best

The multi-award winning guitarist has an endorsement deal with Strandberg Guitars and was recently handpicked to join elite Japanese guitar

Dylan Reavey with his Guitarist of the Year prize – a rare PRS John Mayer Signature guitar.

supergroup G.O.D (Guitarists on Demand).

“It’s amazing to be recognised at an international level,” he said.

Dylan describes his ever-evolving style as “hyper-video game-jazz fusion”. He lists a diverse range of musical influences, from J-Pop to Aussie rap, metal and arcade video game soundtracks.

“I try to be original and keep myself open to all kinds of influences.”

A fresh perspective

Dylan graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium with a Bachelor of Music, majoring in jazz guitar. He said his studies at Griffith had broadened his musical horizons.

“My time at the Con opened up a lot of career choices I never thought were possible,” he said.