Opportunity for Young Performers: 40 Performances Secured at Over 20 Music Festivals in 6 Regional Countries

Serbia Creates Music platform invites all young musicians, bands, and performers from Serbia to apply for the national competition SERBIA CREATES: The Spotlight and secure their performance at one of the most renowned domestic and regional music festivals in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovenia.

Bands, DJs, and musicians within the genres defined by the competition (pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, popular urban music, electronic music) can now apply through this application. The competition will run until midnight on June 4th, which is the last day for submitting applications. Only young musicians who are citizens of the Republic of Serbia are eligible to participate. Detailed application requirements, specific to each music genre, can be found here.

The distinguished jury, consisting of 19 members, includes recognized figures from the music and festival industry, such as Dragan Ambrozić, Konstrakta, MC Sajsi, Milena Milutinović (Repetitor), Vladan Rajović (KKN), DJ Space Motion, Vojislav Pantić, Dejan Ilić (Eyot), DJ Dejan Milićević, Relja Milanković (Bassivity), Nikola Jovanović (Universal & Virgin Music), Timbe (Bad Copy), DJ Lag, Milovan Bošković (Zemlja Gruva), Marko Radojković (Kišobran & Hali Gali), Milica Ševarlić (DOB), as well as media representatives: Radio Beograd 1, Jazzin magazine, Onlyclubbing.com, and Balkanrock. Each member will present the final selection of a maximum of 5 candidates for each genre by June 15th at the latest, and the festival programming committees will have the right to choose the performers for the festivals. The competition is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.

The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that the Serbia Creates Music platform, as part of the national Serbia Creates platform, collaborates with various stakeholders in the music scene, including established musicians, critics, cultural centers, media outlets, record labels, and key players in the festival industry, who recognize the importance of supporting and investing in young talents.

“Serbia is globally recognized as the epicenter of quality music, authentic singers, energetic bands, world-famous DJs, and the best European festival. However, we also have a large number of young artists who struggle to break through and reach their spotlight, and we want to give them the support they need. Today, more than ever, it is crucial to support young talent, create a quality value system, and set the right examples for the younger generations. That’s why, by leveraging our good relationships with festival organizers, promoters, record labels, media, and producers, Serbia Creates Music provides an additional and new platform for young talents in the music world, giving them an opportunity to learn from the best. By involving all stakeholders in the music industry and recruiting young talents for such an initiative, we provide immense support to the youth as well as the overall domestic music scene and creativity. That is our mission,” Zorica Tepić said on behalf of the Serbia Creates Music platform.

Tepić emphasizes that the long-term goal of the competition is also to discover new young names in the domestic music scene who, in collaboration with the Serbia Creates Music platform and all the mentioned stakeholders, will be presented on the international market in the coming years.

The festivals and organizations that have provided additional slots for performances by young performers and the opportunity to showcase themselves to regional and international audiences in 2023 are: the award-winning EXIT festival with its festivals Sea Dance (Montenegro) and NoSleep (Serbia); Arsenal Fest (Serbia), Lovefest (Serbia), Belgrade Beer Fest (Serbia), Belgrade Music Week (Serbia), Belgrade Jazz Festival (Serbia), ARLEMM (Serbia), MMF (Serbia), Jazz In The Garden (Serbia), SKC NS Fabrika (Serbia), SKC Kragujevac (Serbia), OK Fest (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Jazz Festival Trebinje (Bosnia and Herzegovina), PIN conference (North Macedonia), Taksirat (North Macedonia), D Festival (North Macedonia), Forestland Festival (Croatia), We Love Sound (Croatia), Jazzinity Festival (Slovenia), Lent Festival (Slovenia), Jazz Festival Novi Sad (Serbia).

For any additional questions and information regarding the competition, please visit the website for more information or contact us via email at music@serbiacreates.rs.