Dilettante wins inaugural new music stage at Aesthetica Film Festival
Aesthetica Film Festival is delighted to announce Dilettante as the winner of its first-ever New Music Stage, a showcase of the UK’s most exciting emerging musical talent. Dubbed the “UK’s version of SXSW,” the festival brings together music, film, games, and XR in one immersive environment, providing a unique platform for collaboration, discovery, and cultural exchange.
This year’s festival marked the 15th anniversary of the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival, welcoming filmmakers, delegates, and industry professionals from over 60 countries. Across five days, York became a hub for creativity, where tomorrow’s stars in film, music, VR, games, and podcasts were discovered first. The festival’s international reach and multidisciplinary programming ensure it is not just a UK event but a meeting point for the most exciting voices in global screen and creative media.
Spotlight on Dilettante
Dilettante delivered a set that captivated both audience and jury with emotive vocals, layered textures, and commanding stage presence. Reflecting on her win, she said:
“What a massive honour to win this inaugural award – I’m a massive film nerd and I’m really excited to see both film and music festivals starting to work together to support artists across forms. Especially great to win in my home county of Yorkshire and in such a beautiful theatre!”
Praised by MOJO and featured at SXSW and The Great Escape, Dilettante now embarks on festival appearances and cross-disciplinary collaborations across music, film, and XR.
A Curated Lineup of Breakthrough Talent
Featuring acts championed by tastemakers such as BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, RTÉ Radio 1, MOJO, and Rolling Stone, the New Music Stage showcased ten standout artists: BLÁNID, Irish singer-songwriter with a million Spotify streams and national TV appearances; Crazy James, lauded by BBC Introducing for his high-energy rap; Daisy Gill, a The Voice UK alum with Glastonbury and Royal Albert Hall experience; Ewan Sim, featured on Spotify Fresh Finds; Isabel Maria, BBC Introducing One-to-Watch and North East Culture Award winner; Jemma Johnson, alt-pop artist featured on BBC Radio 1 and Radio X; Kengo, BBC Introducing-supported hip-hop talent; Messy Eater immersive art-rock innovators; and Tarian, praised by BBC Radio Wales.
Jury Insights
The New Music Stage jury brought together leading industry including James Matthews (Universal Music Group), Rachel Hill (Futuresound Group), Pablo Ettinger (Caffè Nero Co-Founder, Emma Stakes (Production Park), Rob Clark (Head of Media at Imagesound), plus artists such as The Dunwells, Fauzia Habib, Jack Savoretti, Kat Day (The KVB) and Rachel Croft.
The New Music Stage is about more than performance – it’s about connecting artists with the broader cultural ecosystem we’re building. Dilettante’s win demonstrates the extraordinary potential of the next generation of musicians. Pablo Ettinger, Founder, Caffe Nero, highlighted the industry opportunities for emerging talent: “Supporting emerging talent at this level is vital. These stages give artists the chance to reach audiences and figures they might not meet otherwise.”
Reviving Live Discovery
In recent years, the culture of discovering new music live has declined. Between 2022 and 2023, the UK lost roughly 13% of grassroots music venues, with over 15% closing or ceasing live music activity last year alone, and audience numbers for live shows have fallen by nearly 17% since 2019. The New Music Stage addresses this gap, giving audiences the thrill of experiencing music at its moment of emergence, just as grassroots venues once did.
By integrating the New Music Stage with film, games, and XR, Aesthetica fosters a multidisciplinary creative community. Audiences can witness performances in context with broader creative innovation, and artists gain exposure to delegates from over 60 countries, industry leaders, and tastemakers, helping to launch careers on a global scale.
Cherie Federico summarised the festival’s vision:
“We’re building a festival where creativity meets opportunity. It’s not just about performances – it’s about creating connections, sparking collaborations, and nurturing the next generation of artists across multiple disciplines.”
With this international scale, the New Music Stage promises to grow into a landmark event for UK and global music, reaffirming the vital role of live discovery in the cultural ecosystem.