The announcement of the HMA 2022 winner took place at PIN Music Conference on 25 November at HEMI Dinner in MKC (Youth Cultural Center) where Zimbru received the “cup” and were the first act to open the Showcase evening at the Dancing Hall '25 May' in MKC .

Zimbru is an indie / art-rock band from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Their sound can be described as a wild mix of raspy synthesizers, angular guitar riffs, and lively percussion all topped off by stories of dancing, lost pets, real love, and nostalgia for never experienced past decades.   

After a fruitful year of collaboration through 32 mentoring sessions, networking events, 9 online workshops, and live performances at 9 leading European Conferences, Showcase and Festivals such as MENT, Tallinn Music Week, Athens Music Week, EXIT, Mastering The Music Business, Reconnect, Budapest Showcase Hub, Tak Brzmi Miasto and PIN Music Conference, Zimbru are getting ready to perform at the Eurosonic Festival (ESNS) on January 2023! 

On top of that they are also honored with a total prize value of € 5,000. The nature of the HMA Prize affirms a shared commitment to helping emerging artists to break through in Europe and beyond.

The annual awards are designed to accelerate the international careers of upcoming European acts through a training program, networking events and live touring in leading showcase festivals around Europe.

Each year, 27 outstanding nominated artists from 9 European countries from Central and Southeastern Europe (Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia) are eligible for HEMI Music Awards. All nominees in each phase as well as the award winner are selected by an independent international Jury of 27 members including Industry experts, festival organisers, promoters, export offices, venue managers and music journalists from the 9 countries participating in the Awards.

But HMA is not only for the winner. All nominees are offered the opportunity to attend training sessions to develop their skills as well as networking events to be prepared for an international career, while the 9 HMA finalists are on top of that offered access to HMA touring programme, a total prize value of € 2,000 per nominee. 

Moreover,  by getting nominated in HEMI Music Awards, artists increase their visibility and boost their bookings such as AΙΚΟ (CZ), Danai Nielsen (GR), KOIKOI (RS), Pantaloons (SI) and Vera Vice (EE) who are among HMA artists to perform at ESNS 2023!

Stay tuned! HMA 2023 Open Call is just around the corner!

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HEMI Music Awards (HMA) is a talent program for artists who are ready to develop an international career and who aim to reach new markets and audiences. HMA is organised by the Hub for the Exchange of Music Innovation (HEMI), a European initiative, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, aiming to support artists and music business professionals from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia.