Groningen, 19 January 2024

The prestigious MME Grand Jury Award and the MME Public Choice Award were handed out to Zaho de Sagazan from France during the exclusive and vibrant awards ceremony, held on 18 January in Groningen, The Netherlands. Once again, the MME Awards ceremony showcased the diversity and creativity that define the European musical landscape. The other five MME Awards 2024 winners are Bulgarian Cartrader from Bulgaria, Giift from Denmark, yunè pinku from Ireland, freekind. from Slovenia and Ralphie Choo from Spain. 

Quotes from the jury report 

– “Zaho de Sagazan is really strong artistically with a unique, personal style – A unique talent!”

– “Bulgarian Cartrader’s music is excellent – such a warm, beautiful voice and strong presence” 

– “LOVE Giift! What a talent. What a voice. Something special here”

– “Great that yunè pinku doesn’t have the fear of experimenting! Super creative”

– “I absolutely love everything about freekind. Their music is like a giant hug. So dreamy” 

– “Ralphie Choo has a unique artist style with excellent production and beats” 

Prize package 

Out of 15 nominees, five MME Award winners receive €10.000 each. The winner of the Grand Jury Award is being awarded €10.000 along with a green touring voucher worth €5.000. The winner of the Public Choice Award is being granted €5.000. 

European Union Prize 

The Music Moves Europe Awards (MME Awards) is the annual European Union Prize celebrating the emerging artists who represent the European sound of today and tomorrow. The MME Awards are designed to accelerate the international careers of upcoming European artists. Former winners include; Stromae, Alyona Alyona, ROSALÍA, girl in red, Dua Lipa, Sans Soucis, Hozier, Meskerem Mees and Christine and the Queens. 

ESNS showcases and Education Programme 

Following the awards ceremony, the nominees take the stage in front of music professionals and enthusiasts at ESNS 2024, an annual music showcase festival and conference held in January in Groningen. Additionally all 15 nominees and their teams and many young music professionals were invited for the MME Education Programme on Wednesday. This program provides insights into best practices in the music industry to enhance their knowledge to grow their careers. This year’s topics covered how to stay mentally healthy on the road, tips for Green Touring, the Inclusive Rider and much more. Two MME Awards nominees have been invited to record a Deezer Session. For more information on these topics visit: www.mmeawards.eu 

The MME Awards are organized by ESNS and Reeperbahn Festival, supported by 

Liveurope, Yourope, Live DMA, IMPALA, Digital Music Europe, ICMP, International Music Managers Forum (IMMF) and European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE). The MME Awards is a key component of the European Union’s efforts to support and promote the European music sector. It aims to empower emerging artists and professionals in the industry while fostering a united and diverse European music scene. 

Jury Members 

The independent jury of the MME Awards 2024 consists of five people who earned their reputation in the music industry and are well respected tastemakers; Gemma Bradley (BBC Radio Ireland), Cindy Castillo (MadCool festival), Kevin Cole (KEXP) and Bryan Johnson (Spotify). In addition, each year the MME Public Choice Award winner of the previous year joins the jury. This year this seat is taken by Jerry Heil from Ukraine. 

A total of fifteen outstanding artists were nominated for the Music Moves Europe Awards 2023. 

The nominees included: Bulgarian Cartrader (Bulgaria), Fran Vasilić (Croatia), Giift (Denmark), Pearly Drops (Finland), Zaho de Sagazan (France), CLOCK CLOCK (Germany), Arny Margret (Iceland), yunè pinku (Ireland), Tramhaus (Netherlands), Ash Olsen (Norway), Berry Galazka (Poland), Ana Lua Caiano (Portugal), freekind. (Slovenia), Ralphie Choo (Spain), waterbaby (Sweden). 

About IMPALA

IMPALA was established in 2000 and now represents nearly 6000 independent music companies in Europe. 99% of Europe’s music companies are small, micro and medium businesses and self-releasing artists. Known as the independents, they are world leaders in terms of innovation and discovering new music and artists – they produce more than 80% of all new releases and account for 80% of the sector’s jobs. IMPALA’s mission is to grow the independent music sector sustainably, return more value to artists, promote diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access, inspire change, and increase access to finance. IMPALA works on a range of key issues for its members, runs various award schemes and has a programme aimed at businesses who want to develop a strategic relationship with the European independent sector – Friends of IMPALA.