ANCHOR 2022 Jury & Nominees

BILL KAULITZ, JOY DENALANE, PABLLO VITTAR, PELLE ALMQVIST, TAYLA PARX AND TONY VISCONTI SEEK THE ANCHOR 2022 WINNERS 

The ANCHOR is the Music Award of Reeperbahn Festival and supports six promising newcomer acts as they embark on their international careers. A high-ranking Jury of six picks the ANCHOR 2022 Winner from the six Nominees. The ANCHOR Board, a committee of leading music industry and media representatives, is tasked with selecting the nominees. Past participants have included Shame (GBR), Jade Bird (GBR) (2017 winner), Alice Merton (GER), Alyona Alyona (UKR) (2019 winner), Celeste (GBR), ÄTNA (GER) (2020 winners) and Yard Act (GBR) (2021 winner). 

The ANCHOR 2022 Jury is made up of music producer Tony Visconti (USA), a major influence in shaping the careers of David Bowie and Marc Bolan, among others; producer, songwriter, singer, activist and actress Tayla Parx (USA), whose songs became Grammy-nominated global hits for for Ariana Grande and Panic! At the Disco among others, and who, thanks to her diverse activities, knows almost every angle of the music business from her own experience; Pelle Almqvist (SWE), front man of The Hives, rightly considered one of the most spectacular contemporary live bands; producer, singer and drag queen Pabllo Vittar (BRA), a superstar in her home country of Brazil and who has topped charts with every single new album release; singer, designer and book author Bill Kaulitz (GER), whose band Tokio Hotel has now long been firmly anchored in German music folklore, and “soul queen” Joy Denalane (GER), whose current album “Let Yourself Be Loved” is the first release by a German artist under the renowned Motown label.

The ANCHOR Jury will be shoulder to shoulder with the audiences at the six nominee concerts at the Nochtspeicher on Thursday 22 September and Friday 23 September to decide on the ANCHOR Winner 2022 at the ANCHOR – Award Show on Saturday evening at the St. Pauli Theatre. After two years of reduced crowds, acts and jury alike are looking forward to some storming performances in front of full houses and euphoric audiences!

The six ANCHOR 2022 Nominees are: indie rock trio Cassia (GBR), whose euphoric melodies and danceable beats will instantly let you blur out your daily cares, EKKSTACY (CAN) with their dark post-punk anthems, quartet Lime Garden (GBR) whose relaxed lo-fi sound with catchy hooks has already gained much attention in their home country, Philine Sonny (GER), whose charming bedroom-pop aesthetic also combines classic songwriting, The Haunted Youth (BEL) with their dreamy shoegazing pop plus the five-piece band VLURE (GBR), whose music uses synths and powerful beats to transcend the boundaries between post-punk and club music.

Whoever the Jury ultimately votes for, the Nominees’ concerts are sure to give their popularity in this country a major boost.