27 Nominees - HEMI Music Awards Phase 1

HEMI MUSIC AWARDS 2024 - PHASE 2: SELECTION PHASE

We are thrilled to announce the 9 International Finalists for the HEMI Music Awards 2024! These 9 exceptional European artists will now have access to mentoring and training activities targeted towards developing their skills and competencies in communication and revenue streams, with the aim to help propel their international career! Embarking on this promising HEMIsphere adventure, each of the nominees earns a total prize value of € 2,000!

Along with the training program, the 9 finalists will be performing and presenting a song of their choice during the HMA Live Music Session, an online event that will give the opportunity to both audiences and Jury members to discover them live on stage! Moreover, all the artists will be presented during the HEMI partner event, Mastering the Music Business, the international showcase conference of Romania, to finally enter the last phase of the awards in June, leading to the selection of the 3 winners of the HEMI Music Awards 2024.

We present you below the HMA 2024 Phase 2 finalists in alphabetical order by country of origin! Discover all the beautiful and diverse sounds from our HEMIsphere!

Island Mint (CZ)

Mesmerizing, sun-drenched and heartwarming, the music of Island Mint is a rare occurrence on the Prague music scene. Inspired by 60s sunshine pop and garage rock as well as 90s shoegaze, their warm, all-analogue sound will make you feel like you’re swimming in an ocean of childlike nostalgia. The 5-piece band, currently based in Prague and Berlin, formed only two years ago as an evolution of a solo project. Since then, Island Mint have toured the Czech Republic and Slovakia, played at major festivals and released the album Irreality (2022) set in a surreal landscape of dreams, emotions and dazzling sounds. The band released their newest EP All Studium No Punctum in September 2023 and won the export contest Czeching by Radio Wave.

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Island Mint (CZ)

Anna Kaneelina (EE)

Having released her debut album early 2019, singer-songwriter Anna Kaneelina picked up four awards at the 2020 Estonian Music Awards: Album of the year, Female artist of the year, Alternative/Indie album of the year and Debut album of the year. Make way for the new voice from the wilderness, singing of love, experience and change. Her fragile power mixed with honest and shy I’m-ready-to-shine energy make Anna Kaneelina and her music both raw and ripe at the same time. Ethereal pop with toxic effects.

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Anna Kaneelina (EE)

AMKA(GR)

Amka is a band of 4 musical humans. Separately, they have been performing for the last 20 years all over Europe, and together they work out of Dudu Loft Studio in the belly of Athens, Greece. Each member lends their own experience in punk, kraut rock, math rock, jazz and pop to the others, and combined they create dancing music on the edge of these genres.

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AMKA(GR)

Freakin’ Disco (HU)

The music of Freakin’ Disco is deep, psychedelic, and groovy. The elemental power of their live performances launches the audience to space. Instrumental electronica.

The band was chosen by IMPALA (European independent labels’ association) on their ‘100 bands to look out for in 2023’ list. Their third album, TOTEM, was released in July, 2023. The first single, Face Yourself, was produced by multi-Grammy Award winner Steve Dub, producer of The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy etc. and was released in November 2022. The music video was directed by Karlovy Vary Film Festival Grand Prize winner film director Szabolcs Hajdu and won the Best Electronic Music Video at the Europe Music Video Awards. A remix by producer HRTL (CZ) was also released along with the song.

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Freakin’ Disco (HU)

Lufthansa (MK)

Lufthansa are a Macedonian band with an experimental and aggressive spirit, which, by combining their loudness, anger, love and aggression, counteract the genre determinations, the one dimensionality and conformism of manufactured monotonous music. Six sweaty friends who have been playing and working hard since the start of the pandemic, with 4 albums under their name, ready to tear out your ears, shake your bones and offer you a warm sonic hug.

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Lufthansa (MK)

Immortal Onion (PL)

Immortal Onion are an instrumental band based in Gdańsk, Poland. The group consists of Wojtek Warmijak (drums), Tomir Śpiołek (piano, synths) and Ziemowit Klimek (double bass, synths). Immortal Onion have already built a strong position as one of the most interesting, new jazz projects from Poland. After two well received albums (“Ocelot of Salvation” in 2017 and “XD [Experience Design]” in 2020, U Know Me Records) they had the pleasure of presenting the new release called “Screens” recorded at the initiative of the saxophonist Michał Jan Ciesielski.

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Immortal Onion (PL)

Musspell (RO)

The harmony of the Musspell music project from Cluj-Napoca is melancholic, dream-pop style, featuring northern motifs. A characteristic of our world is that the female vocal lines intertwine, sometimes resonating together, sometimes emphasizing each other. We seek a natural, ethereal sound for self-expression, we realize our musical concept with electronic instrumentation, in which the guitar, keyboard and live drum solo is accompanied by additional sample.

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Musspell (RO)

Keni Nije Mrtav (RS)

Keni Isn’t Dead is a powerful guitar trio skillfully combining modern music elements with a guitar sound. In early November, their debut album “Let’s Dance” was released, following a sold-out concert at Amerikana Hall, Belgrade Youth Center, on December 23. Before the release of their debut album, Keni embarked on a “never-ending tour,” playing over 50 concerts in the season. The band gained a reputation as one of the best indierock, indie-punk live performers, with highly dynamic and engaging yet equally highquality live performances.

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Keni Nije Mrtav (RS)

Astrid (SI)

Astrid Ana Kljun / Astrid- is a Slovenian singer, songwriter, electronic harpist, studio musician and performer, music video directress and producer. As a visual artist she is involved mainly in collage and recycled art. In 2019 she mastered classical singing at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, where she also studied classical harp. She started her first music project called Astrid in Avantgarden in 2017 and released three singles, Coconut, Sing to me and Črno pero. In 2020 she met Tomaž Zupančič who later became her producer. They released their first single Stanovanje in 2022, followed by Hey, Julie, DEVOJKE. Astrid directed and produced music video for DEVOJKE, as well as designing the scenography and costumes.

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Astrid (SI)

HMA 2021 > Phase 1 > ARTISTS NOMINATED

HEMI Music Awards presents the 27 nominated artists and bands from Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia! Discover them here and enjoy the sound from our HEMIsphere!

HEMI MUSIC AWARDS 2024 – PHASE 1: PRESELECTION PHASE

Meet the 27 nominated artists and bands from 9 countries of Central and Southeastern Europe (Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia) that participated in the initial Phase 1 of HEMI Music Awards 2021!

HEMI MUSIC AWARDS 2024 – PHASE 1: THE PRESELECTION PHASE

Meet the 27 nominated artists and bands from 9 countries of Central and Southeastern Europe (Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia) which are participating in the initial Phase 1 of HEMI Music Awards 2024!

Discover all the passionate, creative and skilled nominees and listen to the sound coming live and clear from our HEMIsphere!