EDP Live Bands has just had yet another edition to help emerging Portuguese artists conquer their place in Europe's major music festivals.
Gui Aly was the big winner of the 7th edition and his talent secured him a spot in the lineups of NOS Alive (Algés, Portugal) and Mad Cool Festival (Madrid, Spain). He will also record an album and produce a music video with Sony Music.
The contest, which is already in its 7th edition, received submissions from 354 bands - a record number that proves the success of this project even during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The #edplivebands final was held on October 11 at Campo Pequeno (Lisbon) and was broadcast, for the first time, on the EDP Portugal YouTube channel.
A leap to the stage
Any Portuguese amateur band or artist without a record contract - from all music genres and areas - can apply for this contest. To win, they have to convince the EDP Live Bands jury that they have the talent and the energy to perform at NOS Alive (Algés, Portugal) and Mad Cool Festival (Madrid, Spain). Besides performing at these two festivals, the winning act will record an album with Sony Music and produce a music video.
All finalists will attend a workshop with renowned music industry experts. This is a unique opportunity to share experiences and advice on how to build a career in this highly competitive world.
Seven years of EDP Live Bands
This competition kicked off in Portugal back in 2014, with Caelum's Edge winning the first edition of EDP Live Bands. The second edition was won by Cavaliers of Fun, with Daniel Kemish being awarded an honorable mention and a special participation at NOS Alive'15. The big winners of the 2016 edition were Them Flying Monkeys, who later released their first album with Sony Music, while Plastic People won the heart of both the public and the jury and were crowned the winners of the 2017 edition. Churky's moment came in 2018, when this songwriter stood out from the competing acts and won the contest's highly coveted prizes. Female duo Y.azz x B-mywingz bagged last year's award with their melodic indie sound.
EDP Live Bands Portugal has received submissions from more than 1,900 bands. The competition arrived in Brazil in 2016, with huge success, and ventured into Spain in 2018.
With this contest and the sponsorship of various other music events, EDP continues to position itself as music's official energy - both in Portugal and abroad.
