The 34th edition of ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) was wrapped up on Saturday night in Groningen’s De Oosterpoort with the Noorderslag festival. ESNS looks back on another successful festival and conference, with a musical line-up of leading European artists and a cutting-edge programme of keynotes and panel discussions.

The event was kickstarted on Tuesday with Popgala Noord, the award ceremony for the music industry in the Northern Netherlands, and ended with the reveal of the Popprijs (Pop Award) winner at Noorderslag on Saturday. In total, over 42.000 people attended this year’s edition, during which 347 acts from 33 countries presented themselves to the public. This year’s focus country Switzerland contributed with 22 acts in the line-up, among which Black Sea Dahu, Emilie Zoé, Muthoni Drummer Queen and L’Eclair. The conference was visited by 4.323 music professionals from 52 countries who discussed the latest developments in the music industry.

Popprijs
The Popprijs (Pop Award) for 2019 was awarded to Floor Jansen during Noorderslag in De Oosterpoort. Jansen has known success with Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, but won the love of a wider audience with her contribution to television show De Beste Zangers. The judges reward Jansen for being ‘a unifying force, surpassing the subculture’. Since 1986, the Popprijs is presented annually to a Dutch artist or band who has made a significant contribution to Dutch pop music.

Music Moves Europe Talent Awards
On Friday evening, the second annual Music Moves Europe Talent Awards were presented. This year’s winners are Meduza (it), girl in red (no), NAAZ (nl), Anna Leone (se), PONGO (pt), HARMED (hu), 5K HD (at) and Flohio (gb). Aside from being in the jury’s selection, 21-year old NAAZ also won the Public Choice Award. Host for the evening was Austrian singer Tom Neuwirth (WURST).

New partnerships
ESNS celebrates multiple new partnerships this year. Groningen-based jenever producer Hooghoudt has become a prominent partner, with its own stage and official afterparties. With Merch.Music, ESNS collaborated on a new line of sustainable and high-quality merch. A new app, made possible by Appmiral, allowed for efficient communication with attendees. Lastly, the partnership with Playpass allowed for reliable cashless payment with wristbands and passes.

Contact:
Nikki McNeill
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk