01-12-2017 @ 15:23
Finnish songwriter Alma is confirmed as a winner of a 2018 European Border Breakers Award (EBBA), the European music award for emerging artists who have seen outstanding success across Europe. Alma was surprised by DJ Anne Lainto live on Uuden musiikin Aamuvuoro at YleX Radio in Helsinki.
The 21-year-old ALMA is known for her musical talent and songwriting. Debut song 'Karma' is one of those instant pop gems that earned her two Finnish Grammys and comparisons to Rihanna, or 'the voice of Amy Winehouse with Crystal Castles' electronic pop'. She scores smash hit after smash hit (with German EDM-producer Felix Jaehn and recently American hip hop artist French Montana), is signed to Universal Music and made quite an impression at the BBC Radio 1 Future Festival and at Eurosonic 2017. She’s currently working on her debut album with the likes of MNEK, Rudimental, Gorgon City, Sub Focus, 2 Inch Punch and Charli XCX.
EBBA ceremony
Earlier, Kristian Kostov (Bulgaria), Youngr (UK), Blanche (Belgium), Alice Merton (Germany), Sigrid (Norway), Skott (Sweden), Off Bloom (Denmark) and Salvador Sobral (Portugal) were also announced as winners of an EBBA. The winners will receive their award in a ceremony hosted by TV personality and musician Jools Holland at the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival in Groningen, Netherlands, on 17 January 2018. The ceremony will also feature performances by the winning acts.
Public Choice Award
All EBBA winners are also in the running to win the Public Choice Award. Fans from all over the world can vote online from December 4th up to Christmas for their favourite emerging artist. The winner of the Public Choice Award will be announced during the EBBA ceremony at the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival in Groningen. Up to ten voters, chosen at random from different countries, will be invited to the award ceremony. Each winner will be able to bring a friend with the flight and hotel costs covered by Eurosonic Noorderslag.
The EBBA
The EBBA celebrate new and border-breaking artists who create today and tomorrow's music. From Dua Lipa (UK) to Alan Walker (Norway), the EBBA winners represent some of the standout European sounds of recent years. Other previous winners include Adele, Christine & the Queens, Stromae, Gabriel Rios, Hozier, Of Monsters and Men, Mumford & Sons, Aurora, Disclosure, John Newman, C2C, Tokio Hotel, The Script, Years and Years, Robin Schulz, Carnival Youth, MØ and Selah Sue.
From the group of enthusiastic gig-goers out on the weekend to the industry dedicated to making the music you love, it is clear that Music Moves Europe. The EBBA are one of the EU's ways of celebrating European popular and contemporary music, by bringing the artists, the industry and the fans together to celebrate European music.
15th edition of EBBA
Every year, 10 European artists receive an EBBA in recognition of their success in countries other than their own. This success is measured by a combination of airplay, sales, live performances in Europe, and position in the European Border Breakers Charts.
To be eligible for the 2018 awards, the artists must have achieved border-breaking success with their first international release in Europe between 1 August 2016 and 31 July 2017 and come from a country participating in the EU's Creative Europe programme.
The EBBA, now in their 15th year, is an EU Prize, organised by Eurosonic Noorderslag in partnership with the European Commission (Creative Europe) and the European Broadcasting Union, with support from Buma Cultuur, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Province of Groningen, the City of Groningen and Music Week.