This collaboration between XP Music Futures and YouTube will provide aspiring musicians with an opportunity to showcase their talent and connect with both a local and a global audience.
XP Music Futures, one of the flagship events of MDLBeast, and YouTube have partnered to support Saudi Arabia’s music industry and emerging artists from the Middle East.
The partnership will see YouTube sponsor the XPERFORM initiative, which aims to discover and nurture emerging musical talent in the Middle East. YouTube will also run a bootcamp to help artists reach a wider audience using YouTube’s multiple formats.
XP Music Futures, the three-day annual conference in December Riyadh, KSA, launched XPERFORM in 2022, a music competition for vocalists. The competition allows applicants to share their vocal talent and the opportunity to potentially grow their music careers with MDLBeast Records, the company’s record label arm which produces and distributes music by local, regional and international artists.
YouTube offers a platform for emerging artists from across Saudi Arabia to share their vocal talents with the world using different formats, including long-form, Shorts or livestreams.
Commenting on the partnership, Nada Alhelabi, XP Music Futures’ Director, said: “We are thrilled to partner with YouTube on XPERFORM this year, to discover and nurture the next generation of musical talent in the Middle East. This initiative aligns with our mission to create opportunities for artists and showcase the vibrant music scene in the region.”
Liliana Abudalo, MENA head of YouTube Music added: “We’re excited about our partnership with XPERFORM and the opportunity to support the music industry in Saudi Arabia, whether labels, music artists or producers. We know that YouTube is where creators make the deepest connections with their audience at scale: creators including artists tell us that the relationships they build with their fans here are deeper, more lasting and more meaningful than anywhere else. We hope that through the multiple formats, YouTube has to offer more music artists in the Kingdom can reach a wider audience.”
XPERFORM applications are open until May 20. The top 25 applicants will be invited for a live audition day on June 25 at the Music Hub, a music educational centre part of the Music Commission in Riyadh. The selected contestants will be tasked to sing acapella or with an instrument in front of the five XPERFORM judges. The judges will then select the top 10 contestants, who will participate in an exclusive boot-camp that involves one-to-one coaching from YouTube on how to utilise and reach a wider audience using YouTube’s multiple formats including Shorts, livestream and long-form content. The bootcamp will also help coach the artists on channel optimisation to increase their reach on YouTube and how best to prepare for the next stage of the competition.
The 10 finalists will then go through a popularity contest on YouTube Shorts where the audience will be able to vote for their favourite contestant, to help the judges decide on the top five contestants who will perform at XP Music Futures.
