Hundreds of artists took their chances, of which sixteen were selected to show us their best during the pre-selections at De Brusselse Jeugdhuizen. Our jury of professionals – consisting of Irene Rossi (Couleur Café), Rrita Jashari (VK), Roza Ekin (De Brusselse Jeugdhuizen) and Coline & Toitoine - made the difficult decisions and chose the following six finalists: ADJA, ONHA, Indigo Mango, Ysmé, KAU trio. and Mek‘dr‘dr. Jazz, Soul, hip-hop, funk… you name it. The only thing that these artists seem to have in common is their breeding ground in Brussels and that they are evenly matched. It promises to be an exciting final!

ADJA is a singer and theatre-maker. In her songs, she goes in search of herself first and then the world around her. Dressed in jazz and soul, she is accompanied by a band. Her voice sometimes gives you goosebumps from top to toe.

ONHA is originally from Liége, but has been living in Brussels for some years now. He performs hip-hop with numerous influences from other genres. His live shows revolve around his beats and his lyrics that provide an exhilarating experience.

You can go nuts to Indigo Mango. A bit of funk, a bit of groove, a bit of indie and lots of fun guaranteed. Those who enjoy seeing a unique band line-up, can find the lead singer behind the drums.

Ysmé is perfectly trilingual and a masterful storyteller. With her, it’s no longer necessary to wonder what Eminem would look like with long hair. That’s because she serves up solid rap with an extra theatrical edge.

KAU trio. is an instrumental jazz group and they too are influenced by other genres, such as hip-hop. But there’s more to it than that. The three young men have different European backgrounds. They met in Brussels and that seeps through in their sound.

Mek’dr’dr’ is a young female post-punk duo that somewhat reminds one of The B-52’s. They take you straight back to the 80’s.

Pictures © Lien Peters