It’s a tale of some better known European emerging artists and a few big surprises…
Recently the nominees for the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards have been announced at the German Reeperbahn festival. Sixteen artists from sixteen different countries have been nominated. The Music Moves Europe Artist chart has been used as a tool for these nominations, but it has not been as easy as just a push on the button of the computer. For example, currently, only fifteen different countries can be found in the current Top 100. So bring on in an international jury of music professionals, who had the difficult task to pick the best options, overlooking the whole field.
Out of those sixteen nominees, one had the summer hit of the year: Italian dance outfit Meduza, whose Piece Of Your Heart (Universal) even fell out of the Music Moves Europe Artist chart this month, having gained more than a billion audience impressions so far. British-American producers duo Silk City was happy to take over the top slot.
Apart from Meduza, there are four nominees, that are making waves in the Music Moves Europe Artist chart. First up is German singer-songwriter Au/Ra, currently at #6. Also, Danish pop singer Hugo Helmig at #11, Irish rock band Fontaines D.C. at #19 and Belgian R’n’B-singer Charlotte Adigéry at #25 won’t surprise you to be nominated.
Then there are four nominees who can be found in the ETEP charts, meaning their live performances at the ESNS Festival in Groningen have inspired bookers to put them on the bill of European festivals this summer. British rapper Flohio has been booked nine times at European festivals, Norwegian indie-pop singer girl in red five times, Austrian electro-pop band 5K HD three times, and the delicate songs of Swedish singer-songwriter Anna Leone two times.
Still, seven dark horses left? Two of those might be familiar if you are a keen follower of the weekly chart updates. Dutch singer-songwriter Naaz had already some international airplay with songs like Up To Something and Loving Love (both Dapper/Universal). And Polish electro-pop singer Perfect Son has charted with It’s For Life (Sub Pop). The Finnish Beast In Black and Hungarian HARMED are both metal acts with a huge live reputation. And you might not yet be familiar with French soulful singer Kimberose, Spanish mellow hip-hop outfit Tribade or Portuguese singer Pongo with her poppy kuduro sound, but I’m sure you will be just as surprised as me, once you’ve discovered them too…
Let’s not forget there’s a new Music Moves Talent Artist Chart this month too. Big gainers are Irish rockers Inhaler at #35, Austrian dance meister Lum!x at #40, British indie band Sea Girls at #46 and British pop singer Loryn at #54. And there are no less than five newcomers this month.
Highest new entry at #76 is British rock band Squid. The band is one of the most talked-about in the live circuit at this moment, and now they cross over to European radio as well with The Cleaner (PIAS) in The Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. Another British band called Riddim Punk, in at #82, scores with their mix of reggae and dance mainly in Eastern Europe via the single Stranger In Town (Nice Up). Warner-signed Swedish dance-pop producers Jubël enter at #90 via airplay in Eastern Europe, currently for their update of Chris Rea’s 1986 hit On The Beach.
And two indie triumphs round off the new entries this month. At #96 we find German electro-pop singer Kim Petras, whose self-released Icy was played on British radio. And at #97 enters British soul-pop singer Arlo Parks, currently gaining airplay with Second Guessing (Beatnik Creative) in Sweden, Slovakia and Belgium.
Menno Visser
Music journalist and radio professional from The Netherlands
