HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 9 April 2021 - Now in its fourth year, the "Ear Up Incubation" music mentorship programme reached another milestone for the local music industry when 12 Hong Kong based groups were chosen as finalists in the long-awaited Ear Up Music Festival in March 2021.

Credit: Ear Up Music; Photo: Waiho Ng @ Plate Creations

Credit: Ear Up Music; Photo: Waiho Ng @ Plate Creations

Covering a variety of music genres, the groups took four major awards including the "Ear Up Grand Prize", the "Ear Up Creativity Award", the "Ear Up Performance Award" and the "Ear Up Audience Award".

12 Groups Rocked the Stage

Despite the challenges created by the COVID-19 situation, a year training programme concluded with the 12 finalists displaying their talents at the Festival which was held in the Free Space of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The 12 Finalists

The award winners

TAOTAO & flat550 an R&B group with an electronic touch won the "Ear Up Grand Prize", and the "Ear Up Audience Award" and were the clear favourites of the online live viewers.

Chonotenki and WHIZZ were joint winners of the "Ear Up Performance Award" and demonstrated their passion by enticing the audience to get up on their feet and dance.

wongguyshawn & sumj.chan swept up the "Ear Up Creativity Award" with their innovative progressive instrumental blend of fusion, electro and jazz.

Next Stop: The world!

Mr YUEN Chi-Chung, a veteran music producer and the project director of this year's Ear Up Incubation programme said, "We were delighted with impressive improvements of the participants which clearly proved their potential to reach the international stage. The programme gave the participants a comprehensive view of local music and led to a clear identification of their own uniqueness and position. With the tremendous response for Festival tickets, we are optimistic about the future of Hong Kong music."

Fostering new Hong Kong music

Ear Up Music is a music label that was tasked by the Renaissance Foundation Hong Kong to develop a sustainable and diverse music ecology in the city and nurture rising young music stars. Sponsored since 2016 by Create Hong Kong (a Government unit that aims to develop Hong Kong into a regional creative capital), the label created the "Ear Up Incubation" programme to spotlight new music in Hong Kong and in neighbouring regions and beyond.

Apart from dedicated small group mentorship sessions, the programme also includes a series of performance workshops and international forums for young musicians to enhance their live performance skills, understand the latest industry trends and discover potential collaboration opportunities. Live house showcases and school showcases are also arranged for participants to gain performance experience and build up a fanbase. All the participants are selected through an open recruitment and audition process organised by Ear Up Music.

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About Ear Up Music

Ear Up Music is a music label that spotlights new music of Hong Kong to its neighbouring regions and beyond. The label, established by Renaissance Foundation Hong Kong in 2016, runs numerous projects from talent development to showcase events that connect with global music networks. These projects include Ear Up Incubation, Ear Up Global, Ear Up Tour and Ear Up Gig On.

In 2018, we founded Ear Hub to curate the latest developments in the Hong Kong, Asian and International music, media, production and interactive industry. Ear Hub is an international music conference and festival that offers an audiovisual feast as well as a cordial environment to initiate cross-border collaborations for music lovers and professionals.