On May 26, Copenhagen concert venue Vega held the second edition of its event ‘Vega’s New Crush’, which invites emerging artists from different parts of the world to perform.
The event aims to provide a snapshot of what the music scene of the coming year might look like and includes names that are likely to be featured in future festival line-ups.
Following the likes of AURORA
Just one month before, Norway’s 19-year-old successful singer AURORA performed a sold-out show on Vega’s stage and is heading to Roskilde Festival in a few weeks.
She was featured last year at the SPOT Festival in Aarhus, where new and upcoming talents are invited. Chances are that this year’s New Crush artists might follow a similar trail.
The event kicked off with American rapper Astronautalis enthusiastically joining the crowd to perform a few of his hits and entertain the audience with his sarcasm. He will be performing at three festivals this summer in Germany and the Czech Republic.
The beat-heavy, American-sounding rap was followed by the talented South African singer Alice Phoebe Lou, who moved the audience with her beautiful voice and feminism-empowering lyrics. Originally from Cape Town, she is now based in Berlin and her debut album ‘Orbit’ was released in April. Lou gained wide recognition after performing at a TEDx event in Berlin in October 2014 and the online magazine Cafebabel described her as “Berlin’s best-kept secret”.
Sweden’s new soul voice
Lastly, one of Sweden’s emerging talents Albin Lee Meldau performed a few hits from his newly released EP. His song ‘Lou Lou’ has reached over 7 million streams on Spotify, after being featured in one of Spotify’s popular public playlists. “Screw James Blake!” shouted a Danish girl in the audience as the artist performed his first track.
“My mum was a music teacher and dad a lighting director” Albin told the Copenhagen Post Weekly.
“This is my fifth year as a professional musician. Before I used to play on the streets, at weddings and in bars. I am very happy at the moment, but I try to keep focus and work hard.”
Just a few hours before the show, Albin and his crew were shooting different videos in Copenhagen’s Christiania. He is based in Gothenburg and used to be the lead singer for soul band The Magnolia. His EP ‘Lovers’ is now available on Spotify and all major streaming services.
