THREE hotly-tipped acts from Wrexham will represent Welsh music at two events in Canada later this year.

The Wrexham-based FOCUS Wales international music festival has partnered with POP Montreal and BreakOut West to showcase five of the best new Welsh bands in Canada this autumn.

POP Montreal, which takes place from September 26-30, and BreakOut West, which takes place over October, 10-14 are recognised as two of the most important music industry facing events in Canada, offering a fantastic platform for artists to perform to global industry reps.

FOCUS Wales co-founder Andy Jones said: "All of the acts showcasing for us in Canada played great showcases at FOCUS Wales 2018, so it’s great to see them making this important step in their careers, and we’re pleased we can play our part."

The project is being delivered by FOCUS Wales in partnership with Wales Arts International, Arts Council of Wales, and the Welsh Government Office in Canada, and promises to be the first of many cultural collaborations to take place between Wales and Canada.

Selected through an open application process, the successful artists include Wrexham's Kidsmoke, Art School Girlfriend, and Llangollen's Campfire Social, as well as Cardiff-based acts HMS Morris and Ani Glass.

Frontman of Kidsmoke, Lance Williams, said: "We were over the moon to discover that we were invited over to Canada by the BreakOut West team, and really grateful to FOCUS Wales for making it all happen."

HMS Morris, Art School Girlfriend, and Ani Glass will showcase at POP Montreal, with Kidsmoke and Campfire Social then showcasing at BreakOut West.

Performer applications for FOCUS Wales 2019 are now open to artists worldwide via www.focuswales.com. A total of 245 acts performed at the 2018 festival, with artists travelling from across the globe to take part.

FOCUS Wales 2019 takes place on May 16, 17, 18, across various venues in Wrexham.