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Europe Day 2024: celebrating a decade promoting Europe in music
The 10th edition of our Europe Day celebrations will take place at Ancienne Belgique on 9 May. And we're in for a double celebration as 2024 also marks the 10th anniversary of Liveurope!
To mark this milestone, we invite you to join us for a special programme mixing discussions on pressing topics for the music sector, networking moments, and concerts on AB’s main hall and club.
With Belgium heading the EU Presidency, we will shine the spotlight on exceptional Belgian talent with great international appeal. And with only a month to go before the European elections, we feel even more determined to bring you some of the hottest artists rising from around the continent.
Before the shows, we will seize this opportunity to have a conversation with top experts and discuss what the future has in store for European music – and what the EU can do to make it thrive.
The event will include the notable participation of Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib, and Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, the Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture at the European Commission.
Europe Day is organised in partnership with the European Commission and European Parliament under the label of the Belgian Presidency of the EU. It counts with the support of the One Voice for European Music initiative and the Cultural Creators Friendship Group, a cross-partisan coalition of currently 27 Members of the European Parliament from 6 different political groups and 14 different countries.
Programme
16:00 - 18:00 Conference
Welcome words by Tom Bonte, AB's General Director
Opening keynote speech by Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, European Commission Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Panel discussion: What Future for European Music?
Before the music starts, we'll dive into a lively conversation with leading experts about the future of European music—and what the EU can do to make it flourish.
As Liveurope celebrates its 10th anniversary, let's take a moment to envision the next decade for European music. From weathering the storm of piracy in the early 2000s to navigating the challenges of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the music industry has repeatedly demonstrated its resilience and capacity to thrive amidst adversity. Yet, as we stand on the cusp of the AI revolution, how will the music sector respond to this technological surge?
A recent analysis of Spotify data reveals that European audiences are increasingly drawn to the sounds of their homegrown artists, but how do we ensure these local talents break through international borders? What steps can the EU take to nurture European music diversity and propel the next Angèle, Rosalía, or MØ onto the global stage?
Speakers
- Benjamin Feyen, Secretary General of the Cultural Creators Friendship Group (CCFG) in the European Parliament (DE)
- Jess Partridge, Executive Director at the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) (UK)
- Naiara Lasa, Artistic Director at Sala Apolo (ES)
- Susanne Hollmann, European Commission's Senior expert, Cultural Policy Strategy and Music Moves Europe
Moderated by Fabien Miclet, European affairs consultant (FR)
Closing words by Hadja Lahbib, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs (BE)
Slam performance by Lisette Ma Neza, Brussels official city poet (BE)
18:00 - 19:30 Networking cocktail (by invitation only)
Come celebrate with us as we raise a glass to commemorate a decade of Liveurope and anticipate ten more years of successful cross-border cooperation.
The networking cocktail is open to cultural operators, Belgian and European decision-makers, and media professionals.
19:30 - 00:00 Concerts in AB’s main hall & club
It wouldn’t be our Europe Day celebrations without great gigs! For this 10th edition, AB has prepared an evening of concerts featuring exceptional Belgian talent with great international appeal as well as the next generation of European artists.
The concerts schedule is available on Ancienne Belgique's website.
Compact Disk Dummies (BE)
In 2012, the very young brothers Lennert and Janus Coorevits – aka Compact Disk Dummies – surprised friend and foe by winning Humo’s Rock Rally with their edgy electro-pop. The year after that, they released their first EP with the dance hit "The Reeling". The duo conquered the biggest festivals in the country (Dour, Lokerse Feesten, Pukkelpop) and in Europe (Sziget, Les Transmusicales). Their debut album 'Silver Souls', featuring dancefloor tracks like "Holy Love" and "Girls Keep Drinking" was put out in 2016. Meanwhile, the brothers became true TV stars thanks to their participation as the regular house band for the popular TV show De Ideale Wereld. Two quickly sold-out AB shows in 2019 preceded their second album 'Neon Fever Dream'. The rambunctious "I Remember" from it should have been the prelude to a new live conquest but the Covid-19 pandemic got in the way. In late '23, they sold out the AB in no time again, and now they’re already back with a new album.
Chibi Ichigo (BE)
Brussels-based artist Sabina Nurijeva, better known as Chibi Ichigo (Japanese for ‘little strawberry’), released her second album at the end of January: 'Na Half 1'. For it, she again worked with her life partner and producer/DJ Umi Defoort (UM!), as well as Wieger Hoogendorp (Goldband). As a supporter of the queer community, Chibi Ichigo fully throws herself into the electro-scene with beats, dancers, and staunch synths, as well as a focus on safety and self-love. She spreads a message of self-discovery and inner stability for a world that is continuously changing and has you longing for authentic connection. In her recent, stunning performance at AB, she appeared as a glamorous diva in a flashy show that was interspersed with warm small talk, welcoming her audience into her beautiful world from the very first minute.
Magia Bruta (ES)
Magia Bruta is the new adventure of Isabel Fernández, a composer and producer whose inspiration ranges from mystical pop, experimental electronics, 60's girl group harmonies, expansive minimalism, and telluric sampling. Fernández, together with drummer and singer Aida Torres generates an exciting shock wave of exciting harmonies and instrumental experimentation. In their latest album, ‘Un Dia Nuevo’, there is no place for clichés, formulas or mental prisons; here you will only find overflowing and free hymns about alienation, love, truth and beauty.
Bad Daughter (HR)
Meet Split-born and Zagreb-based singer-songwriter Dunja Ercegović, widely recognized as Bad Daughter. She first captivated audiences with her stellar debut album 'Let Me Panic', an intense 8-track blend of dark electro-pop and 90s-inspired alt-rock. Produced by Leonard Klaić, the mastermind behind the experimental electronic project Delapse, this album quickly garnered critical acclaim, earning Bad Daughter accolades such as the coveted Porin, Rock Off, and RUNDA awards in Croatia. Now, with her highly anticipated second studio album on the horizon, Bad Daughter stands as one of Croatia's most promising indie artists.
Stanislawa (BE/NL)
Stanislawa (aka Dj Waitress) is a queer visionary artist living between Brussels and Amsterdam whose passion for 90s techno and dreamy trance is only matched by her zeal for creating liberating sonic landscapes. Founder and co-director of the Deep Down East collective, Stanislawa has made it her mission to bring the vibrant techno culture of Eastern Europe to the heart of Western Europe.
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