Montreux Jazz Festival has released the complete list of its anticipated MJF Spotlight 20 Artists To Watch for 2023. The iconic Swiss festival has not only hosted some of music’s most accomplished names, but also has a long history of identifying and supporting the next generation of talent. The 20 international artists selected are those it has tipped to break through in the year ahead.
Drawing on Montreux Jazz Festival’s renowned curation skills, this year’s list spans eight different countries, from Jamaica to South Africa to the UK, as well as across an eclectic range of genres that aligns with the festival’s diverse programming. The MJF Spotlight 20 Artists to Watch in 2023 are (in alphabetical order): Cat Burns, d4vd, Doechii, DOMi & JD BECK, Dove Cameron, Ekkstacy, Ethan Bortnick, FLO, Gayle, Ilira, JVKE, Lovejoy, Overmono, Piri & Tommy, Shenseea, Stacey Ryan, Talk, The Doug, Tokischa and Uncle Waffles.
The list of the year’s rising stars is part of Montreux Jazz Festival’s music initiative MJF Spotlight, which was created by the festival to support emerging artists and new music in the form of high-quality original content creation and live performances all year round. Lady Blackbird, Fred again.., Nicki Nicole, Sam Ryder and Kings Elliot are just a few of the 2022 Spotlight alumni who stunned crowds at this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival after being named Artists to Watch.
Next year Montreux Jazz Festival will expand its support for MJF Spotlight artists, by holding a winter residency in Villars-Sur-Ollon, Switzerland, at the Villars Palace in partnership with Villars Institute. This will feature several live showcases from upcoming talent that will be live streamed on TikTok, with whom the Festival signed a partnership earlier this year to help Spotlight performers reach massive new audiences around the world.
Since its formation, Montreux Jazz Festival has always been a home for the most established artists as well as those at the beginning of their careers. Over 57 years, it has helped launch the careers of many now-household names, including the likes of Rag’n’Bone Man, Jacob Collier, Lizzo, Jorja Smith and Priya Ragu, who have all played at the iconic festival. From June 30 – July 15 2023, the Montreux Jazz Festival will return to the Lake Geneva shoreline for its 57th edition, once again showcasing the brightest and boldest musical talents across an eclectic range of genres.
Mathieu Jaton, CEO Montreux Jazz Festival, comments: “We are so thrilled to announce our MJF Spotlight 20 Artists To Watch for 2023, featuring some tremendous up-and-coming artists from all parts of the world, expertly selected by the bookers of the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation. Supporting emerging artists is part of the DNA of Montreux Jazz Festival, so we’re excited to grow the Spotlight project even bigger in 2023 and continue providing a platform for the next generation of talent.”
MJF Spotlight is supported by its two presenting partners Julius Baer and Swisscom and new product partner, UNITY. The Spotlight initiative is part of Montreux’s mission to diversify and perpetuate the festival’s exposure through its subsidiary media company Montreux Media Ventures. Launched in 2019, Montreux Media Ventures was created to evolve the festival from an annual event into a company creating high quality content all year round.
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