Midem has announced the 14 finalists of its inaugural Midem Artist Accelerator – the programme designed to ‘fast-track budding musical talent onto the global spotlight’.
In partnership with Pepsi and Deezer, the Midem Artist Accelerator aims to support managers, agents, promoters, labels and publishers as they seek to enhance their artists’ profiles internationally.
The inaugural Midem Artist Accelerator drew nearly 500 submissions from around 50 countries. The Midem Artist Accelerator finalists, who will perform at the expo/festival between June 5-8, are:
AKUA NARU (Germany), jazz/hip-hop. Naru has performed with Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, toured with Lords Of The Underground, and recently featured on a new Red Hot release alongside Tuneyards, Angelique Kidjo and Questlove.
ALFRED HALL (Norway), pop. Last year the band landed a sync placement with their song “Safe and Sound,” used on the official trailer for Netflix originals series Derek, and the Mexican beer brand Cerveza Pacifico Clara used their song “Someplace Beautiful” in a campaign for the U.S market, becoming a huge hit on YouTube.
ALO WALA (Denmark), pop. They have collaborated with cream-of-the-crop producers (The Clerk, Schlachthofbronx, Boody), and are featured on Buraka Som Sistema’s most recent album. Their single “City Boy” (+80K views on YouTube in 4 months)
ANDREYA TRIANA (UK), pop. Her second album “Giant,” co-written and produced by Matt Hales, is due out shortly.
BRYNJOLFUR (Denmark), EDM. Brynjolfur did several remixes for artists such as Diplo (feat. MØ), Kasper Bjørkeand or VinneWho and is nominated for the “Politiken iBYEN Award” (Danish Deejay Awards).
GHETTS (UK, pictured) R&B/hip-hop/urban. With a decade of experience behind him, Ghetts was crowned last year’s “Hardest Working Artist” at the UK Independent Music Awards.
JEREMY LOOPS (South Africa), country/folk. His album “Trading Change” (YeboMusic/Sheer Music) went N°1 on iTunes ZA and was named “Album of the Year” by iTunes ZA. The single “Sinner” counts +160K views on YouTube Jeremy also won the MK Awards 2014 as “Best Live Act.”
HUNDREDS (Germany), pop. Crafting a unique sound that has drawn comparisons to Massive Attack, Dido and Little Dragon, Hundreds strike a beautiful blend of post-rock, synth pop, folk and electro.
KAT DAHLIA (USA), pop. A singer, songwriter and rapper, her single “Gangsta” drew more than 17 million views on YouTube.
LITTLE BARRIE (UK), rock/alternative. Wrote and performed the theme tune for “Breaking Bad” spin-off “Better Call Saul,” the premiere of which attracted 6.9 million viewers on AMC.
MIDDLEMIST RED (Hungary) rock/alternative. Psych-rock band founded in 2012, they recently released their first album “Supersonic Overdrive.”
ROO PANES (UK), country/folk. British songwriter Roo Panes is “a young man with a romantic and honest notion that illuminates through his guitar and voice like an aura” says Music Week. His debut album “Little Giant” has been recorded by producer Rupert Coulson (Portishead, Robbie William, Oasis).
SLY JOHNSON (France), R&B/hip-hop/urban. Johnson has a great profile following the international success of his former group, Saïan Supa Crew, notably in France, Germany and the UK.
TIMOTHY BLOOM (USA), R&B. A two-time Grammy-winner as a producer, his debut album “Timothy Bloom” featured in 2014 Billboard top 100 R&B albums.
The finalists have been selected by a committee composed of the following: Frank Cooper III, Chief Marketing Officer, Global Consumer Engagement, PepsiCo – Global Beverages Group; Delphine Ferré , VP International Artist Marketing at co-sponsor Deezer; Epic Records’ Chairman and CEO, L.A. Reid, Natalia Nastaskin, The Agency Group USA CEO, Harvey Goldsmith, legendary Producer and Promoter, Rob Hallett, who just announced the launch of his new company Robomagic, Will Botwin, President & CEO of Red Light Management and ATO Records; Christopher Kaskie, President and Founder of the Pitchfork stable; Mathieu Jaton, CEO of the Montreux Jazz Festival and Fruzsina Szép, Director of Festival Coordination & Public Affairs at Hörstmann Unternehmensgruppe.
All finalists will perform live on the Midem Festival open-air stage, and will benefit from a tailored programme during the tradeshow, including coaching sessions and unique networking opportunities.
Within the accelerating programme, Deezer will curate a workshop introducing best practices for artists to market their content online.
Artists will also receive mentoring sessions with industry experts, free legal services offered by the renowned International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (IAEL). Workshop themes will range from “How to grow reach and revenues,” provided by BandPage, a learning session on Next Big Sound’s sophisticated analytics with founder, Alex White, courtesy of Next Big Sound and Pepsi.
Each artist will have access to the career-boosting sessions at Global Synch & Brands Summit and unlimited access to Midem’s VIP areas.
“Response to the Midem Artist Accelerator initiative has been overwhelming and we’re thrilled with the exciting line-up that the jury has chosen. Midem’s commitment to hosting live music is stronger than ever and this will be a unique opportunity to showcase great talent and provide each act with a carefully-crafted programme that will help them blossom in the wider international music ecosystem,” said Bruno Crolot, Director of Music Markets, Reed MIDEM.Music Business Worldwide
