The 10 winners of the 2019 prize were selected from over 200 entries to the new prize by a stellar panel of industry judges including: Gareth Malone OBE, Roisin O’Connor, X Factor winner Matt Cardle, Ben Earle from UK country band The Shires and chaired by YolanDa Brown.

 

A total sum of £30,000 was awarded to 10 emerging artists working across music genres ranging from hip hop to funk, folk, country, jazz and indie, receiving £3,000 each.  

 

“It was an absolute pleasure meeting the 10 winning acts for the 2019 Drake YolanDa Award. There is so much amazing music in the world and the mainstream acts signed to major labels tend to dominate the airwaves and column inches. We are committed to help put a spotlight on as many of these amazing emerging acts as possible.”

 YolanDa Brown, co-founder of Drake YolanDa Award

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“The standard of artistry was high and a fantastic diverse selection of musicians. It is so important to help the next generation of artists to find their feet in a challenging industry.”

Gareth Malone OBE

 

“The Drake YolanDa award couldn't be more timely. New musical talent needs support more than ever, so a prize that offers funding to not one, but ten emerging acts is an exciting and worthwhile endeavour. It was an honour to be invited to judge the artists and watch them perform, and wonderful to such a diverse range of talent on display.”

Roisin O’Connor, Music Editor of The Independent

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