You may remember Vince Harder as the suave dancing crooner who wowed Australian audiences on his way to the top three of X Factor.

Or it may have been his stage roles as Simba in The Lion King or as a radio DJ in another smash hit Jersey Boys.

Most will likely recall his hit single Everything that peaked at number one on the New Zealand top 40 charts in 2008.

Then again, you may remember him as a kaiako who ran the Certificate in Māori Performing Arts with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Now based in Sydney with his own production company and management label – Harder Music Group – Vince is developing, producing and managing acts.

Vince, who grew up in a musical West Auckland whānau learning from his older brother who played guitar and his sister on the piano, says he’s on the lookout for “new, fresh and exciting talent”.

This could extend to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa tauira on the programme he once taught.

Vince says he has already seen a number of his tauira go on to greater things.

“It was a great experience being able to give back to young students who were keen and hungry to learn what they could and know more about what is out there,” he said.

“We had a few successful students go on to achieve more in their field. One of my students, who I still hear from today has been working for Vector Arena and another as a sound engineer and has now just started his own company.”

Since leaving TWoA, Vince went on to focus on his writing and production as an artist.

“It has now opened a lot of doors in to the music industry, creating my own pathway to find more opportunities in music, entertainment and production.”

As mentioned earlier, Vince said he is now focussing on artist development and searching for someone to emulate what he has done.

“I’m after an artist or an act that has something different and relevant to offer in the music industry.”

To find out more about our certificate in performing arts click here or ring us on 0800 355 553