NOTION & Nicholas Douglas launch New Music Awards: Spotlighting the artists you’ll be talking about next

In a culture saturated with playlists and fast scrolls, discovering the next vital voice often happens in quiet corners: a bedroom upload, a cousin’s recommendation, a midnight algorithm. Today, NOTION is formalising that moment. Under Creative Director Nicholas Douglas, NOTION is launching the New Music Awards (NMA) – a digital-first celebration of new artists before the rest of the industry catches up.

This isn’t about sealing a career – it’s about igniting momentum. Douglas says:
“We’re not applauding what’s already arrived. We’re spotlighting what’s approaching — the energy, the experiments, the voices still being refined.”

Why this matters
Traditional awards tend to reward those who’ve already broken through. The NOTION NMA flips that script. It exists in that sweet space when a fan thinks, “I knew them before they blew up.” Its winners live in the territory where curiosity meets conviction – raw, unpredictable, and future-facing.

How it comes together
The Awards cover eight categories across the musical spectrum, and winners will be selected by a handpicked panel of tastemakers – names like Jack Saunders, Bimini, Krept & Konan and Kathy Schenfelt, among others – people who live in the world of discovery.
But there won’t be red carpets or televised broadcasts. The NMA is built for the platforms where music finds its first home: Instagram storytelling, TikTok moments, behind-the-scenes features and digital cover stories on Notion.Online. It’s not about spectacle – it’s about presence.

Douglas’s point of view
For NOTION, discovery has always been the pulse. Douglas has shepherded emerging names through early cover features, festival stages and storytelling that helped define trajectories. Now, the NMA stakes that pedigree into a new form – one that activates the storytelling engine around emerging talent.
“The future of music doesn’t begin on the main stage,” he says. “It begins in the feeds, in the headphones, in fragments that ripple forward.”

What to expect
Winners will be profiled in editorial features; the “Best New Artist” will receive a full digital cover – original photography, interviews and shareable assets designed to extend reach. The goal: not just recognition, but momentum.

In a scroll era, curation is power
Readers know that volume isn’t value. The NMA is a reminder that while algorithms surface a million songs, the ones we return to tend to have narrative, depth and editorial conviction behind them. NOTION wants to be that guide – not just reacting to hype but helping shape it.

The awards were announced in September and will roll out across the rest of 2025. If you’ve got an ear for what’s next, this is one to watch.

Instagram


Photo credit: Sonali Ohrie