In 2025, the ESNS Exchange, a program inaugurated in 2003, changes its name but its missions remain the same! The Dutch festival, which will be held from January 15 to 18, 2025 in Groningen, continues its support for artists, unprecedented on a continental scale, to enable them to develop internationally.
After two decades of good and loyal service, exit ESNS Exchange, the platform which contributes to the promotion of musical talents from all backgrounds in Europe is getting a slight facelift and becoming the European Talent Exchange. Enough to reaffirm, by name, the link between the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival and the Creative Europe program of the European Commission which has just renewed its financial participation in the Dutch springboard for the next four years.
Excellent news for the festival which has welcomed more than 300 artists from the Old Continent every January since 1986 and no less than 40,000 spectators, often from Music industry professions (journalists, festival programmers or concert halls, labels, turners, etc.).
New name, same formula
It is difficult for the Groningen Emerging Music Festival in the Netherlands to ignore this newly renowned program. Over the course of its almost twenty-two years of existence, the European Talent Exchange will have helped the development and influence on a continental scale of groups and artists as important as Aurora, Rahim Redcar (ex-Christine and the Queens ), the English from The XX, Viagra Boys, Sam Smith and Fat Dog, the darling of the other cheese country Altin Gün, the kuduro from Buraka Som Sistema or the French pop stars Zaho from Sagazan (recently awarded the Music Moves Europe prize in Holland) or Belgian Stromae.
And it’s not over since in its mission to promote and support the European musical ecosystem, the European Talent Exchange has just broadened its range by sealing a pact with the European Broadcasting Union to support artists programmed in their distribution and visibility issues within the different European countries. A new prerogative, therefore, which obviously adds to the original and essential missions of the former ESNS Exchange: facilitating the circulation of artists on European territory and ensuring better opportunities for emerging groups to pursue careers outside their respective borders, but also educate, train artists and their teams in the economy of live music and the ecological challenges of the moment, promote diversity and imagine solutions for the music industry and the groups of tomorrow.
A program and promises
In this newly expanded framework, it is difficult to see how certain artists scheduled for the 2025 edition of Eurosonic Noorderslag like our Frenchies Yamê, Adrien Soleiman and Bonnie Banane, the esthete pop of the Spanish Judeline, the Danish revelations GB or Swedish Boko Yout, the ethereal beaches of the Estonian Night Tapes, the English Ruthven and Florence Sinclair or the Austrian star in the making Uche Yara (already scheduled for 2023), could miss the opportunity to break down some borders and export throughout Europe during tours of concert halls or festivals.
In its capacity as coordinator, Eurosonic places itself at the crossroads of this European musical ecosystem (both geographically and logistically) to help its international development. With its partners like Yourope and the European Broadcasting Union, the program links no less than 130 festivals across Europe and 31 national media so that emerging talents from the four corners of the continent have every chance of their sides.
A prize to decide between the best national representatives
If last year the English groups like Fat Dog, Lambrini Girls and English Teacher had obviously benefited the most from this program, the Dutch, French and Spanish groups were not left out, notably the Frenchies of UTO (programmed six times in partner festivals) but also, and above all, Zaho de Sagazan, big winner of the audience and jury prize at the Music Moves Europe Awards 2024.
The ceremony, created in 2019, names fifteen young European artists each representing their country, the winners of which will have the chance to participate in the exclusive MME educational program. This year, facing Night Tapes, Zimmer90 and Judeline, it is the star of the French and Navarre festivals, Yamê who will represent France during the ceremony. A new strong competitor after the tornado Zaho de Sagazan, whose career will – there is no doubt – take off throughout Europe. This is the promise of Eurosonic and the European Talent Exchange.
Eurosonic Festival, from January 15 to 18, in Groningen. You can already book your tickets at this address.
