The winners of this year's European Border Breakers Awards have been announced. These will be presented at the start of Midem to the ten European artists who have been most successful in reaching audiences outside their own country, based on chart data from Billboard. The ten winners (with country of origin) this year are...
The Fratellis - Costello Music (Universal/Island) - UK
Cascada - Everytime We Touch (Zooland Records) - Germany
Sunrise Avenue - On The Way To Wonderland (EMI/Honest/Bonnier) - Finland
Ayo - Joyful (Universal/Polydor) - France
Dolores O'Riordan - Are You Listening? (Sanctuary) - Ireland
Basshunter - LOL (Warner/Extensive) - Sweden
Miguel Angel Munoz - MAM (M6 Interaction) - Spain
Reborn - Fools Rush In (Universal/ARS) - Belgium
Dune - We Are In There, You Are Out Here (Iceberg Records) - Denmark
Hemp Gru - Klucz (Prosto) - Poland
The European Commission organises these awards, and their Commissioner For Culture Jan Figel told reporters yesterday: "The EBBA Awards underline the importance of creativity and an open attitude towards cultural diversity in a globalising world. By honoring the award-winning groups and artists, alongside their record companies and publishers, the EBBA Awards also clearly show the inter-linked nature of the process of musical creation and how this is a necessary element for cross-border success".