The competition was announced back in July and the winner was just recently crowned. The virtual show featured the five finalists from Europe, the Middle East and Africa perform and receive feedback from the judging panel. The judges included British rock star Yungblud, rapper Denzel Curry, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and the founder of 88rising Sean Miyashiro.

Northern Ireland’s Lemonade Shoelace was the first performer, he brought his highly positive experimental psych-pop to the competition. Miyashiro commented on the performance“Tight band, [it’s] music that I would want to listen to, They have a distinct sound. I love it.”

Next up was London-based singer Kenya Grace who shared her enigmatic R&B creations which won praise from Michaels who said “It’s really unique, I loved her voice. She has dynamics in her songs and she can perform them and sing them live, which is rare.” KY’ORION then followed this up with the Birmingham rapper showcasing his melodic, thought-provoking bars. “He’s just gotta keep going cos I like the vibe,” Curry said. “He needs to come up with some crazy patterns.”

Welsh duo Altered Myths then mixed things up with a two-track performance with immense bluesy riffs and blasting drums. Miyashiro enjoyed the performance stating “They’re fusing a lot of different things together and I think that’s really dope to make it their own style, I think the songwriting is great. I think they’re definitely onto something.”

Paris-based electronic musician p-i used samplers and other equipment to build the layers of her music, fusing them together to form hypnotic tracks that grew greater with each layer. YungBlud liked the act saying “I can see them going on after me, not before, It feels very late night. If I was in the dance tent and that came on, fuck yeah I’m there. Big vibes.” You can view all the artists performing below.

After the artists performed, the judges then awarded each of them a mark out of 10, with a final score being worked out from their average scores. At the end of the concert receiving the highest marks is Lemonade Shoelace with a score of 8.3. Micheals said of the winner “You can tell that they’ve put a lot of time and devotion and dedication into their artistry and their craft, and I’m so happy I got to experience that today,”

As a reward for Lemonade Shoelace’s victory he has won a support slot with Yungblud when he embarks on his UK tour in January 2022, as well as Vans products, Kramer gear, global music distribution, Spotify and Apple Music playlisting and more.

He spoke to NME ahead of the Livestream concert, where he said winning “would mean the absolute world to me. I feel like I’ve won already by just being selected as a finalist, which I never thought would happen,”  to which he added. “It’s great to see recognition for my hard work; I produce everything myself and I’m so happy people are enjoying my output.”

Additionally, the winners will also get the chance to share the stage with Yungblud at his headline shows in January 2022. All new acts from across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific are allowed to enter the competition. Submissions will then be judged by an expert panel consisting of rapper Denzel Curry the Grammy-nominated artist and songwriter to the stars Julia Michaels, and 88rising’s founder Sean Miyashiro, and Yungblud.

Once the judges have viewed all the acts they will pick their top five finalists from each region to perform at the Vans Musicians Wanted virtual concert series in September 2021. There will also be regional grand prize winners selected and they will receive the aforementioned Vans products, gear from Kramer, global music distribution, and playlisting on both Spotify and Apple Music.

If you think you have what it takes to enter the competition simply submit your own original music on the Vans Musicians Wanted website before the July 23 closing date. A message on the site reads:

“Calling all singers, rappers, drummers, even flutists. Whatever your musical vice, enter for the chance to perform with YUNGBLUD. Judges will pick a final five to perform in a digital battle for the grand prize. Content will be posted and shared on vans.eu/musicianswanted and our social platforms. Don’t miss your chance.”

The competition previously took place last year in 2020 and received over 22,000 artist submissions so it would be wise to expect a similar number this year. Winners of the last Musicians Wanted competition include UK rapper and producer JoeJas, Argentinian singer-songwriter Lucia Tacchetti and the Korean experimental rock group numnum.