After an exciting battle between 100 Gigstarter acts, the three most popular acts and three most popular DJs reached the final. Our six finalists gave a dazzling online performance for the Gigstarter Artist of the Year awards 2021.
The #Artist2021 Final
There was a lot at stake for our winners this year. Not only do the winners get to wear the crown of Artist & DJ of the Year 2021, but there were also some fantastic monetary prizes to be won. To name these, a cheque of €1000 for the winning artist and a cheque of €500 for the winning DJ.
The final Livestream showcased an eclectic mix of the types of artists we host on the platform. For the artists: the indie groove-infused Sea Angels, sultry jazz singer Julie Huard and the tropical vibes from Papayazz. The jury’s verdict determined that the Dutch singer Julie Huard and her band were the chosen act for the Artist of the Year 2021 award. As for the DJs, we saw rising house stars Mystic Balance x Q-Lucas give us a sneak peek of new tracks, Cedicci takes us back to an underground techno club and Mini Maal showcased an original take of what a live DJ set can be. After deliberation, the jury agreed that DJ Mini Maal will hold the title DJ of the Year 2021!
We are extremely grateful to all the talented musicians who took part in this event and it is an enormous honor to have them on Gigstarter. The previous winners, PanKart and DJ LLout, have some strong successors that they should be proud to hand their titles down to. In case you missed the live stream or want to watch some of these amazing sets back again - you can replay it on Gigstarters Youtube channel:
Partners & Jury
We want to grant a special thanks to everyone who made this event possible. Firstly, a big shout out to our sponsors: DJ School Amsterdam and Music Motion. Also of course our talented jury members Dennis Jamoena from Novum Music, previous Artist of the Year winners 2020 PanKart, Lucas Benjamin from Wicked Wax Music and previous DJ of the Year 2019 Savio Damiano. Last but not least, a big thank you to all the music lovers who attended the digital party last night.
Competition history
Since 2013, we have organized our annual Artist & DJ of the Year event. Last year, due to the pandemic, we were forced to rethink how we would make this event happen in times of heavy restrictions. Before last year, our artists performed in different venues across Amsterdam: Bitterzoet, Ruigoord, Melkweg and the unfortunately closed Sugarfactory, now called Lovelee. These past two years have been challenging for all those in the business. We want to continue supporting artists during these hard times and continue doing what we love in innovative ways. Similar to last year, this digital edition was a big success and we hope that next year there is a chance we will be able to enjoy some live music again.
Julie Huard & Mini Maal Artist & DJ of the Year 2021
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