EUROPE’S NEXT BREAKOUT ARTISTS: MEET THE 15 MUSIC MOVES EUROPE AWARDS 2027 NOMINEES
Brussels/Riga, 4th November 2026,
The Music Moves Europe Awards (MME Awards) have announced the 15 nominees for 2027, spotlighting emerging artists pushing boundaries and bringing fresh sounds to Europe’s music scene. The nominees were revealed on Wednesday, 4 November, at Riga Music Week.
Meet the 15 nominees for the Music Moves Europe Awards 2027: TeddyBear (Belgium), Ida The Young (Czech Republic), panicbaby (Germany), Ángeles Toledano (Spain), Vilma Jää (Finland), Jersey (France), DA TI (Georgia), Alkyone (Greece), Palo Canto (Hungary), MOIO (Ireland), dóttir.x (Iceland), TÄRA (Italy), Nusantara Beat (Netherlands), Petra (Slovakia), Olga Myko (Sweden).
The winners will be announced at the MME Awards ceremony on Thursday, 14 January 2027, at Stadsschouwburg Groningen, as part of Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) in the Netherlands.
Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport stated: “Europe’s music scene is constantly evolving, driven by fresh perspectives, bold ideas and artists who dare to do things differently. The MME Awards celebrate the next generation of European talent and the diversity that makes our music scene so vibrant. Through the Creative Europe programme, we are proud to support initiatives that help emerging artists reach new audiences, build international careers and make their voices heard. Congratulations to all 15 nominees!”
The European Union Prize for emerging artists
Supported by the Creative Europe programme, the MME Awards are the European Union’s prize for emerging artists, celebrating the new voices shaping Europe’s music scene. The awards aim to help artists build international careers and connect with audiences across borders. Over the years, the MME Awards have helped spotlight some of Europe’s most successful artists, including ROSALÍA, Dua Lipa, Stromae, Hozier, Christine and the Queens, Zaho de Sagazan, Camille Yembe, Night Tapes and Judeline. Their success highlights the range of talent emerging from Europe.
Jury and prizes
The winners will be selected by an international jury bringing together expertise from across the music industry. The jury includes Jess Iszatt (presenter at BBC Radio 1 and BBC Introducing), Filip Košťálek (Artistic Director at Colours of Ostrava), Kenza Naaïmi El Fezzazi (French-Moroccan music journalist for Red Bulletin and FIP Radio), Marta Belay (Artist and Label Partnerships manager Benelux at Spotify) and Lia Kali (MME Awards Public Choice winner 2026).
A total of seven awards will be presented: five MME Awards, one Grand Jury Prize and one Public Choice Award. Each of the five MME Award winners will receive €10,000. The Grand Jury Prize winner will receive an additional €5,000 green touring voucher. The Public Choice Award winner will receive €5,000 and the opportunity to record a Spotify Single at Spotify’s studio in Stockholm
Public Choice Award
Music fans can now vote for their favourite nominee in the MME Public Choice Award at mmeawards.eu/vote. Voting closes at midnight on Thursday, 31 December 2026.
Taking the stage at ESNS
All 15 nominees will perform at ESNS, Europe’s leading showcase festival and music
conference, taking place in Groningen, the Netherlands, from 13 to 16 January 2027. The nominees will also take part in the MME Education Programme, offering insights, practical knowledge and opportunities to connect with professionals from across the music industry.
The programme is organised by ESNS and Reeperbahn Festival in collaboration with the MME Awards partners: Liveurope, Yourope, Live DMA, IMPALA, Digital Music Europe, ICMP-CI, the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF), European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE) and European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA)
The MME Awards are a key part of the European Union’s commitment to supporting the European music sector. By championing emerging artists and helping them develop international careers, the awards contribute to a more connected, diverse and vibrant European music scene.
About IMPALA
IMPALA was established in 2000 and now represents over 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 and started a new co-funded work programme as an EU cultural network in 2025. IMPALA 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. This year we are celebrating our 25th anniversary programme #WhyIndependentsMatter with a series of interviews Faces of the Independent Sector, as well as reports and other features, see more here.
