Riga to announce 15 nominees for EU music prize

On 4 November, 15 nominees for the European Union's music prize, the Music Moves Europe Awards 2027, will be announced in Riga during the Riga Music Week music industry conference. It will be the first time the nominees are revealed in Latvia, at the conference venue in the Tallinas Street quarter. As a result, the attention of Europe's music industry will turn to the Latvian capital.

The award has helped young European musicians build international careers for more than 20 years. Past laureates include global stars such as Dua Lipa, Adele and Rosalia.

Latvia's earlier success

In 2016, the Latvian band Carnival Youth received the prize, which was then called the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA). It was honoured for the international success of its debut album "No Clouds Allowed" and also won the audience favourite award. Band member Roberts Vanags says the musicians were young and had recently finished secondary school, and that the recognition opened doors to a wider audience. In his view, Latvia still struggles for visibility on the broader European cultural map, so he is glad nominees will be announced in Riga ten years later.

Agnese Cimuška-Rekke, founder and executive director of Riga Music Week and head of Latvian Music Export, says years of work have gone into creating opportunities for Latvian musicians abroad. She calls the announcement an important step for the international development of Latvia's music industry.

Programme

The nominee announcement will be hosted by Diona Bathily, a journalist and presenter at the Berlin radio station 100.6 FluxFM. The event will also include an interview with Latvian music producer Might Delete Later (Anna Madara Pērkone), who was herself nominated for the 2026 Music Moves Europe Awards.

From 4 to 6 November, Riga will host both the conference, which will gather European music industry professionals, and a city festival. About 50 bands and artists from Latvia and abroad will perform on six stages.