MUMBAI: Midem announces the 11 finalists in the Midem Artist Accelerator (MAA), the international music career booster to fast-track talent on the world stage. Home of the global music community, Midem takes place in Cannes, France, from 5-8 June.

Now in its fourth year, the MAA has a solid track record for bringing rising talent to a wider global audience. Following the 2017 edition, participating artists BE CHARLOTTE signed to Columbia Deutschland/Sony Music Germany while IRIS GOLD signed a global deal with Playground Music Scandinavia after being both spotted in Cannes. Another MAA alumni M.ANIFEST has been booked for several festivals and also struck a deal with an experienced music consultant who helped him negotiate recording contracts for singles and for music placements in film.

This year’s MAA artist ambassador, South-African DJ and producer, Black Coffee will be keynoting in Cannes and sharing his know-how with the 11 hot new acts. “As Midem puts the spotlight on Africa’s bourgeoning music scene, I’m truly honored to be this year’s Artist Ambassador of the Midem Artist Accelerator. I’m thrilled to discover the 2018 finalists and be able to share with them my own experience as an artist,” spoke Black Coffee on the upcoming event.

Midem Director Alexandre Deniot also said, “We are particularly excited about this year’s line-up for the Midem Artist Accelerator, with its strong accent on talent from the African continent. This truly global event also features artists from as far afield as Australia and Cuba, along with some home-grown French talent. When they all perform live in Cannes, I think that Midem attendees will be in for a real treat.”

Universal Music Group India and South Asia MD and CEO Devraj Sanyal, who is also the jury member of the MAA 2018, added, “I was a jury member last year as well and watched the power of the accelerator first hand and it adds tremendous value to these chosen artists from across the world. Though I’m sad no one from India made it this year after Prateek Kuhad last year, it’s an experience for the MAA artists to interact and learn from a diverse jury from the world of music from across the world. Our job is to help them navigate the complex world of the music business and help connect them to the right people. I’m humbled to represent India for a second year in the Midem Artist Accelerator for the second year.”

Live Music Director Delphine Grospiron said, “Midem hosts the global music community and the Midem Artist Accelerator programme is dedicated to giving artists worldwide exposure, increase their international reach and help them develop their business and creative network. This year’s selection is incredible and I look forward to meeting with all of the MAA finalists at Midem! What would be really exciting in the future is if we received more Midem Artist Accelerator entries from India, given the wealth of talent throughout the Indian music scene and the successful participation of Prateek Kuhad in MAA 2017.”

All finalists will perform live on the Midem Beach in Cannes in a series of concerts during the event and will benefit from a tailored programme during the tradeshow, including coaching sessions and unique networking opportunities. The artist with the most votes will play live at the Midem 2018 Opening Night Party.

The finalists also have a unique opportunity to be recognized and mentored by a Committee of execs from UTA, Viacom, OkayAfrica and more. In addition, the finalists will receive further mentoring from a pool of experts as part of their Midem experience.

Meanwhile, Midem is Home of the Global Music Community and world’s leading music event that brings together, connects, serves and supports the global music community to exchange, create, play, forge relationships and shape the future of music. With a rich 4-day programme of conferences, competitions, networking events and live performances, music makers, cutting-edge technology companies, brands and talent come together to enrich the passionate relationship between people and music, transform audience engagement and form new business connections.