The Music Moves Europe Awards (MMEA) is an established talent-breaking foundation that has helped forge the careers of many chart-topping artists we know today. Taking place every year in January at the ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) in Groningen, the awards show celebrates the best talents from across Europe. This year, Italian R&B-pop sensation Sans Soucis, aka. Giulia Grispino, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize, one of the highest accolades possible at the awards show. Europavox caught up with rising-talent to see how the award has affected her career trajectory, and what more we can expect from the artist down the line.
Taking home an MME award is no small thing. Previous winners include Rosalía, Dua Lipa, Stromae, Hozier, Blanks, and Christine and the Queens; artists who’ve gone on to culturally shift the music paradigm across the continent. “Looking at the former winners of this prestigious prize, I feel like I’m part of a community of legends, which really triggers my impostor syndrome. I guess everyone experiences it,” elates Sans Soucis about winning.
Organised by ESNS and Reeperbahn Festival, and co-funded by Creative Europe, an EU initiative, the awards not only put a spotlight on the diverse new artists from across Europe, but are also there to help accelerate and grow the careers of these talents further. This year, all 15 nominees were given the opportunity to perform at the event, in addition to being invited to a business education event, regardless of whether they won or not.
Amongst this year’s winners were Schmyt (Germany), July Jones (Slovenia), Oska (Austria), Kids Return (France), Queralt Lahoz (Spain), and Jerry Heil (Ukraine), the last of whom took home the Public Choice award. Winning the Grand Jury Award was Italian prodigy Sans Soucis, a prize that was adjudicated by an independent committee of music industry professionals that came with a prize award of €10,000, in addition to a Green Touring Support voucher worth €5,000.
Sans Soucis Acceptance Speech at the MME Awards
© Ben Houdijk
When asking Sans Soucis how she felt immediately after the award a few months ago, she told us: “It has given me a boost in confidence and reinforced my sense of purpose. It was also very special to get to be there as a proud black and queer Italian person. We deserve our flowers, as it is not easy to find our voice in a world that tries to silence and cancel us on a daily basis.”
“Music for me is a way to express what I’m not always able to express in real life,” Sans Soucis added, an experience she expresses as still being surreal. “When I create music, I try to fight all my demons at once. I’m not afraid to say what I think or to dare and experiment. There is so much of my personal story in my artistic project that receiving an award for simply being myself and working hard to make sure I stay authentic to myself, was a reminder that all the work, valleys and peaks were worth going through. I’m still immensely grateful for it, and for feeling seen.”
© Ben Houdijk
Currently based in London, Sans Soucis has been releasing music since 2018, mixing together elements of modern and classic R&B and alt-pop with sounds embedded in her Italian and Congolese heritage. Her melodic, synth-pop music is rich in both modern production, and deep song writing, with lyrics that deal with issues related to racial trauma, identity, and ethnicity, and tackle her experience as an artist with an African heritage living in Europe, while also embracing queer culture and spirituality. Her growing success has allowed her to use her platform to share and talk openly about these issues, speak up on human rights, and also host musical workshops and support younger musicians in the UK.
“Ultimately, this prize is an opportunity to have a platform to say something and I’m so excited to share even more of the music and life I’ve been working on,” she expresses about the opportunities the prize will bring. “I hope this exposure will allow more people to hear my music and hopefully make them feel as seen as I felt when listening to my favourite records.”
Since winning the accolade, Sans Soucis acknowledges that things are starting to change, with there being greater opportunities ahead of her. “The most remarkable milestones have been playing live for bigger crowds and selling out venues I never even thought I would fill up,” she says of the joys of success. “I’m also so excited about the opportunity to finally play a few more European festivals this year and meet new people on the road.”
This year also saw Sans Soucis perform at The Great Escape Festival, in addition to SXSW in Austin, Texas. “I had so much fun,” she recalls of the American festival. “When I saw the Grammys and The Hollywood Reporter flagged my show as a must see, I was genuinely shocked. That truly made me feel the love, and I was so glad people turned up to the shows.”
Following the release of two new singles, ‘Merchants’, and ‘I Know Your Present’, the artist has carried on with work on her new album, taking the time to produce the record by herself. “I’m deeply into album production at the moment. It’s a truly exciting time,” she says. “There’s a lot of work to do, but we’re at the finishing touches stage. I’ve always dreamed of releasing a self-produced album, and here we are. I took my time with it, but I think this is the perfect time for me. Album season will be starting in no time. Meanwhile, I have some very exciting announcements about live shows coming out soon, so keep your eyes peeled.”
