SA: Uncle Waffles selected for Montreux Jazz Festival Spotlight initiative

The ‘Tanzania’ hitmaker was selected alongside 19 other emerging international artists “set to make a lot of noise in 2023.” She joins an elite cast of African acts to make the programme, including Nigerian Afro-fusion star Omah Lay and Gambian-British rapper Pa Salieu, who were named in last year’s class.

MJF Spotlight forms part of the festival’s efforts to diversify and perpetuate the festival’s exposure through its subsidiary media company Montreux Media Ventures. Launched in 2019, Montreux Media Ventures was created to evolve the festival from an annual event into a company creating high-quality content all year round.

“We are so thrilled to announce our MJF Spotlight 20 Artists To Watch for 2023, featuring some tremendous up-and-coming artists from all parts of the world, expertly selected by the bookers of the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation,” MJF CEO Mathieu Jaton said. “Supporting emerging artists is part of the DNA of Montreux Jazz Festival, so we’re excited to grow the Spotlight project even bigger in 2023 and continue providing a platform for the next generation of talent.”

“Many of the artists on this list will be invited to participate in live session shoots and MJF Spotlight events throughout the year and during the festival,” a statement reads.

Next year Montreux Jazz Festival will expand its support for MJF Spotlight artists by holding a winter residency at the Villars Palace in Villars-Sur-Ollon, Switzerland, in partnership with Villars Institute. This will feature several live showcases from upcoming talent that will be live-streamed on TikTok, with whom the Festival signed a partnership earlier this year to help Spotlight performers reach massive new audiences around the world.

Since its formation, Montreux Jazz Festival has served as a home for the most established artists as well as those at the beginning of their careers.

Meanwhile, from 30 June to 15 July 2023, the festival will return to the Lake Geneva shoreline for its 57th edition, once again showcasing the brightest and boldest musical talents across an eclectic range of genres.

Below is the full list of MJF Spotlight 20 Artists to Watch in 2023

• Uncle Waffles (South Africa)
• Cat Burns (UK)
• D4vd (US)
• Doechii (US)
• DOMi & JD BECK (US, France)
• Dove Cameron (US)
• Ekkstacy (Canada)
• Ethan Bortnick (US)
• FLO (UK)
• Gayle (US)
• Ilira (Switzerland)
• JVKE (US)
• Lovejoy (UK)
• Overmono (UK)
• Piri & Tommy (UK)
• Shenseea (Jamaica)
• Stacey Ryan (Canada)
• Talk (Canada)
• The Doug (France)
• Tokischa (Dominican Republic)