The first big international festival of the music industry of the year ESNS has had the presence, for the fourth consecutive time, of The Spanish Wave   presenting 4 spanish talents last weekend.

The first fiesta & showcase of the spanish wave in 2025 has been a big success being sold out in all showcases and a great reception at the official “Meet The Spaniards!” reception, attended by nearly 300 delegates from different countries.

Every year, ESNS kicks off the festival and conference season for four days in the northern Dutch city of Groningen, surrounded by canals and with a century-old clock tower in the central square. The city is filled with musical events during these days and the Grand Theatre is one of the focal points of the festival's best showcases.

On Thursday 16th the artist from the Canary Islands ST. PEDRO, warmed up the night at Rabo Studio with classic Latin rhythms and a modern urban sound, once again showing his talent after having set the bar high at IFF last May and presenting his album “Esta Vida Que Elegí” in the Netherlands, representing a journey through Latin American styles that have influenced the popular culture of the Canary Islands since the first decades of the 20th century.

After midnight, one of the sensations of experimental pop at the moment, JUDELINE took to the stage at Machinefabrick una de las sensaciones del pop experimental del momento, JUDELINE, recommended by two of the biggest artists in pop today, Rosalía and Bad Bunny, and who also won one of the MME (Music Moves Europe Awards). Among 15 nominated artists from all over Europe, six winners have been awarded seven prizes during the annual ceremony at the ESNS festival in Groningen, Netherlands.

Glenn Micallef, the newly appointed EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Equity, Youth, Culture and Sport, was present at the ceremony and presented the 2025 MME Audience Award to the Cadiz-born artist Judeline.

The MME Awards are designed to accelerate the international careers of emerging European artists. Previous winners include Zaho de Sagazan, Stromae, Queralt Lahoz, Rosalía, Girl in Red, Dua Lipa, Hozier, Jerry Heil, Meduza and Rimon.

After these performances on Thursday, the big day arrived, Friday 17th January, with the Spanish reception “Meet The Spaniards” in one of the most important venues of the festival and the city, the Grand Theatre. The Spanish Wave presented the project and the artists there at this great international event in front of more than 300 professional delegates who registered for our official reception.

“Meet The Spaniards!” has become a classic event at many international festivals, presenting artists chosen in open calls who want to boost their careers outside their borders.

Photo: Richard Wagenaar

Three great Spanish artists presented The Spanish Wave on Friday 17th. The first was MARIA ESCARMIENTO, from Madrid, who with her electronic pop in Spanish turned the theatre upside down and her connection with her fans who left their seats to dance in the front row in front of her. María is ready to launch her career internationally and is part of the roster of one of the most important British agencies, ATC.

Photo: Richard Wagenaar

Next up was Tenerife (Canary Islands) native ST. PEDRO, who presented a more intimate show filled with boleros, rancheras, merengue and bachata, dazzling a sold-out theatre with fans queuing to get in.

ST. PEDRO is developing a national and international career on both sides of the Atlantic, having performed in Miami and London recently, with more news to be announced shortly.

The Andalusian closed the night MARÍA JOSÉ LLERGO, young singer who fuses flamenco, pop and futuristic electronic music and who, after only 3 years of musical career, already has two albums and has received several awards, including the Goya for Best Song in the film Mediterráneo. Without a doubt one of our biggest stars in the world, international attendees were left speechless with the quality and modernity of the Pozoblanco show.

The artists' 4 shows were packed with fans and industry, with some people unable to get in due to full capacity, and almost 300 professional delegates attended the previous industry reception held at the Grand Theatre in Groningen where they met with the Spanish delegates.

ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) is one of the most important showcases and festivals of music in Europe, which welcomes, in each edition, more than 40,000 attendees, more than 350 artists from all over the world and some 4,000 industry professionals, including agencies, festivals, artists, record labels, journalists, promoters, etc.

The festival is a great business opportunity, through more than 150 conferences that feature important professional speakers, interviews and panels that deal with the most current issues concerning music worldwide.

For The Spanish Wave, this first triumph of the year is a great step forward to continue making itself known in different countries and festivals and to support artists from our country to go beyond our borders and give them the push to be known throughout the world.

We thank our official collaborators, the artists we present at ESNS 2025 and their agencies such as Get In, Taste The Floor, ATC, Lionfish, Interscope, Live Nation Spain.

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The Spanish Wave is a project for the internationalization of Spanish talent that aims to help in the export of emerging artists and bands from our country, participating with “showcases” in the most important fairs, showcase festivals and musical events in the world, with the presence of professionals from the national and international industry. We work closely with booking agencies, record labels, and national and international promoters. THANKS to our partners AIE, the SGAE Foundation, Instituto Cervantes, Ticketmaster New Music, Live Nation España, Mondo Sonoro and Radio 3 The Spanish Wave promises a true tsunami of Spanish talent distributed throughout the world in 2025. 

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sara@backgroundnoise.es