NEWS published on 14 Jan 2016

Latvia’s Carnival Youth win Public Choice EBBA at Eurosonic Festival

The winning artists of the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) performed to a delighted crowd in Groningen, Netherlands (13 January). Latvian band Carnival Youth took top prize winning the Public Choice award.

The EBBAs traditionally open the Eurosonic Festival, which showcases emerging pop and rock talent from across the continent. The ceremony, hosted by the BBC’s Jools Holland, is available for TV, radio and online to EBU broadcasters.

During the ceremony European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans expressed his pleasure at seeing the international success of all the winners saying, “Pop music is one of the most democratic forms of culture. It helps us celebrate our differences and it opens doors to all other forms of culture.” 

The EBU is currently working with Creative Europe, a European Commission scheme looking to develop cultural and creative sectors.

Laurent Marceau, who is in charge of pop music at the EBU, said, “We are pleased to be part of the conversation on the importance and future of music together with the European Commission. We’re working together to build a more supportive ecosystem for young artists.”

New weekly EBBA charts

EBBA Director Peter Smidt announced the creation of EBBA charts – a new European weekly ratings billboard, available at the EBBA website.

The ratings finally introduces a way of talking about European bands and measuring cross border success on a regular basis. It will also be published on Music Week.