BRUSSELS, Belgium (VIP NEWS) — The winners of the 2012 European Border Breakers Awards, celebrating the top new talents in European pop music, were announced today by Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth and the European music conference and showcase festival Eurosonic Noorderslag.
The winners of the 2012 awards are:
Elektro Guzzi (Austria)
Selah Sue (Belgium)
Agnes Obel (Denmark)
Ben l'Oncle Soul (France)
Boy (Germany)
James Vincent McMorrow (Ireland)
Afrojack (Netherlands)
Alexandra Stan (Romania)
Swedish House Mafia (Sweden)
Anna Calvi (UK)
"Music is a universal language that touches billions of people, regardless of age or background. Our winners have all succeeded in reaching out to audiences beyond their home country through their talent and energy. I hope the awards will inspire other artists to take their music beyond their national borders and break into new markets," said Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
To be eligible for the awards, the artists must have enjoyed border-breaking success with their first international release in Europe between August 1, 2010 and July 31, 2011.
The winners are selected by music market analyst Nielsen Music Control on the basis of record sales and broadcast frequency and according to votes by European Broadcasting Union (EBU) radio stations and festivals participating in the European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP).
