04 September 2016
Newsdesk
Clarissa Mae from Lewisham has been crowned Gigs Champion 2016, following a five month search across the UK for the busker of the year. The singer beat acts from across the country to take top honours in the Grand Final of Gigs, the UK's biggest street music competition.
Gigs - the Mayor of London’s annual search for the best young musicians - saw London’s busiest locations treated to over 800 live performances this summer. Today’s final at Westfield Stratford City saw 12 of them, chosen by music industry insiders and the public, compete in two categories, before the overall winner was decided by the judging panel.
The Gigs competition, part of Busk in London, supports the Mayor’s major new #LondonIsOpen campaign, which aims to spread the message that, following the EU referendum, London remains united, full of creativity and open for business. The Mayor is urging all Londoners, organisations and businesses to show their support for the #LondonIsOpen message via social media and videos and photos of doors opening around London to welcome people in.
Clarissa Mae was initially selected as the Youth category winner and receives a Roland Cube Street amp. Cyreez from Hillingdon won in the Soloists and Duos category, picking up a much coveted year's licence to busk on the London Underground, courtesy of Transport of London.
Other prizes were also up for grabs, including the Eurostar Prize, which was won by Hounslow musician Luca Fiore. He will now have the chance to travel to Paris, busking to passengers on the train and in the French capital.
Nicola Hogg from Haringey is the overall winner of the Gigs Songwriting Prize, sponsored by PRS for Music. She also won the bespoke package of training and coaching at the Institute of Contemporary Music.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Huge congratulations to Clarissa Mae and to everyone that took part in this year’s Gigs competition. This summer saw creativity and arts showcased on the streets of the capital thanks to these talented buskers. I am proud to support the next generation of young musicians and give them the chance to build their confidence and have their music heard.”
Clarissa Mae said: "I am absolutely thrilled to have won Gigs. The whole competition has been such a fun experience, and I've absolutely loved performing at Westfield today. I can't wait to see what happens next in my singing career."
The compere at today's final was Radio X DJ Phil Clifton. The judging panel comprised: Guy Fletcher, Chairman of PRS for Music and legendary songwriter; Phyllis Belezos, Artist Manager at International Talent Booking; Jerry Williams, 20 year old emerging artist and regular busker, now signed with Sol Parker at Coda Agency; James Brister, Industry Liaison Executive at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance and Kaya Herstal-Carney, from Metropolis Studios.
www.london.gov.uk/gigs
