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Perth muso lands Ellen show gig

Sheppard. Picture: Supplied

Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show may just be the ticket Australian indie band Sheppard need to break into the US.

The hit six-piece outfit, which includes Perth-born musician George Sheppard and his sisters Amy and Emma, hold the record for Australia's highest-selling single of 2014 with their catchy tune Geronimo.

While they have taken the local market by storm their next goal is conquering the US and helping them on their way is Scooter Braun, who also manages Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

It was Braun who broke the news to Sheppard that they had secured a spot on comedian DeGeneres' popular talk show later this month, which regularly reels in more than 60 million viewers worldwide.

"We were actually backstage before our showcase in Los Angeles and Scooter Braun came into the green room," George told Access All Areas.

"It was the first time we had met him and he sort of just laid it on us right there.

He said 'Oh, by the way, I got you guys confirmed for Ellen', like it was nothing. I was like 'Hang on, are you talking about Ellen DeGeneres?' It was a very surreal moment but that's the magic of Scooter Braun."

The Brisbane-based performers have just returned Down Under after an "epic" tour throughout the US, the UK and Europe to promote their music, playing gigs in far-flung cities and appearing on scores of foreign radio shows.

But it was playing on Britain's V Fest line-up in August that was a real eye-opener for George.

"We got to hang out in the artists' area and Sam Smith was there just playing Nerf Gun Skirmish with his band," the 26-year-old said.

"Jason Derulo was just around the corner doing push-ups and Lily Allen was there with her kids. It was just like the world behind the scenes and it was really incredible to be a fly on the wall back there."

The busy pace of the past six months is likely to continue for Sheppard.

They are playing a WA show on October 16 at the Astor Theatre and then fly home the following day for Emma's 21st birthday. After that it will be constant international travel up to the festive season.

"We are hoping to have Christmas and new year's off in Thailand - we are working on it," George laughed.

"It will probably take eight or nine months to try and break it (in the US), so we can get to the level of people like 5 Seconds of Summer and Lorde. It takes a while to get there."