MTV UK & Ireland in association with Emporio Armani Diamonds today open voting to the public to find the winner for this year’s coveted MTV Brand New for 2014 on mtv.co.uk/brandnew.
The winner will be announced early February 2014 after two nights of showcase gigs at the Islington Assembly Hall. The showcases will be a one-off opportunity to see a selection of some of the strongest talent of 2014 in one place on January 29th and 30th.
The MTV Brand New for 2014 shortlist includes:
Banks
Ella Eyre
Elyar Fox
George Ezra
Joel Compass
Kwabs
Royal Blood
Sam Smith
The Vamps
Marie Naffah (Unsigned Winner)
The ten shortlist nominees, which include this year’s Unsigned competition winner Marie Naffah, are deemed to be destined for big things in 2014 after being selected by MTV officials and an industry representative panel. The shortlist was announced at an official press launch at The Drury Club on Wednesday 27th November, which showcased performances by special guests Wretch 32 and 2014 nominee, Elyar Fox.
Elyar Fox says: “It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m nominated for MTV Brand New! I’m looking forward to getting my fans involved now the voting has opened.”
Following in the footsteps of artists such as Tom Odell, Haim, Lady Gaga, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, The Vaccines, Jessie J and Justin Bieber, this year’s nominees will now battle it out in a public vote, which opens today and runs until the end of January. All ten artists will receive continued support from MTV UK and Ireland throughout 2014.
Unsigned competition winner Marie Naffah becomes the third ever unsigned artist to be added to the MTV Brand New shortlist, after fighting off strong competition from hundreds of other unsigned applicants. Over 30 000 unique votes were placed – 1000 more than last year – the entries were whittled down to a shortlist of 20 artists before MTV’s in-house team of music experts decided on an overall winner.
Marie Naffah is a singer/songwriter who is well acquainted with the music scene, despite only being 21. She has often been referred to as a perfect blend of Laura Marling and Florence Welch because of the way she combines roaring, powerful vocals with mellow guitar riffs and witty wordplay. She also featured as the top video of the week on NME Breakthrough.
Paul Hourican, Head of Talent and Music, MTV Networks UK & Ireland, commented.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be once again embarking on our MTV Brand New campaign and couldn’t be more excited to introduce this outstanding group of new talent to the MTV Audience. 2014 promises to be yet another stellar year for UK music and MTV UK.”
With one of the most successful track-records for a new music poll, over the last five years MTV Brand New has provided crucial early support helping to launch the careers of international stars such as Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Ke$ha before their debut releases whilst also picking up top British music talent Tinie Tempah, Adele, Florence + The Machine, Disclosure, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Friendly Fires, White Lies, Wretch 32, Labrinth and Conor Maynard at the very start of their recording careers.
For the second year, Emporio Armani Diamonds is proud to be sponsoring MTV Brand New in their search to find the hottest upcoming music acts for 2014.
Emporio Armani Diamonds and MTV are the perfect match and together are much more than just a brand collaboration. Music and fragrance are intrinsically linked in their ability to evoke emotion and memory, and their power to transport the mind to a different time or place. This powerful combination is a must for Emporio Armani Diamonds and they are delighted to be associated with the talented and inspirational individuals that MTV Brand New unveils and are looking forward to building on the success of last year’s collaboration.
