Highlighting the next MOBO superstars through our annual talent competition.
MOBO UNSUNG AIMS TO MOTIVATE AND ELEVATE EMERGING TALENT BY PROVIDING PRICELESS OPPORTUNITIES WHICH CAN SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR PERSONAL AND CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT, WHILST IMPROVING THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
For the past 23 years, MOBO has been dedicated to providing a platform for exceptional British talent. While we’ve witnessed and celebrated the success of artists like Stormzy, Rita Ora, Craig David, Lady Leshurr, Krept and Konan, whilst supporting and elevating new and exceptional talent through our MOBO UnSung programme.
With that in mind, MOBO is pleased to announce that MOBO UnSung is back and bigger than ever!
MOBO UnSung, with support from PRS Foundation and Arts Council England, is one of the country’s strongest annual talent competitions for unsigned artists producing original work. A nationwide search for exceptional unsigned talent culminates in 10 finalists, known as the MOBO UnSung Class of 2018, who then go on to enter a year-long artist development program of industry and production workshops, performance and networking opportunities, guidance, etc. facilitated by MOBO and its partners through this compelling programme giving you the opportunity to make your mark with your music.
The MOBO UnSung Class of 2018 will get the chance to go through the Tileyard Music A&R process as well as receive opportunities to attend Industry Seminars, where they will have the opportunity to learn about key areas of the music industry from some of the best in the music business, with the aim to reach wider audiences. Other exciting activities and opportunities for the top 3 will include studio time at the state of the art Tileyard Studios with established songwriters such as platinum songwriter Carla Marie Williams and producers; to further enhance their creative output, a 12-month bursary membership to The Hospital Club, a unique London private members' club for those working in the creative industries and MOBO UnSung bursary, granted by PRS Foundation, will help them fund an aspect of development of their own choosing.
The winner will also receive a song writing session with multi MOBO Award-winner Craig David, as well as the potential opportunity to perform on one of his tour dates and a distribution package from TuneCore, an artist first company helping artists get their music distributed all over the world whilst retaining 100% of their revenue and music royalties, as well as the chance to create their own music video produced by one of the biggest and most innovative digital platforms for rising talent, Link Up TV. More information on prizes can be found in the FAQ section below.
Open to singers, songwriters, producers, rappers and poets, MOBO UnSung is about championing creative individuals who may not be household names in their field but are already showing great promise.
Applications for MOBO UnSung 2018 are now closed!
Graft wins MOBO UnSung 2018!
Get to know our 2018 UnSung finalists
Got a question about MOBO UnSung 2018? We've got you covered
MOBO UnSung is one of the country’s strongest annual talent competitions for unsigned artists producing original work.
MOBO UnSung aims to provide emerging talent with priceless opportunities which can significantly contribute to their personal and creative development, whilst improving their understanding of the music industry. Opportunities can range from mentorship to live performance opportunities.
The MOBO UnSung initiative, with support from PRS Foundation, incorporates the values of the MOBO Organisation of facilitating opportunities and elevating the next generation of music talent in the UK.
MOBO UnSung is open to singers, songwriters, producers, rappers and poets who write/compose their own material.
Artists who perform within the musical genres of Hip Hop, Grime, R&B, Soul, Reggae, Afrobeats or Gospel (as well as Spoken Word) are eligible.
Applicants for MOBO UnSung must NOT be signed to a major or independent record label, management, music publishing company or publicity deal.
Yes. You can only apply for MOBO UnSung if you're based in the UK and have lived in the UK for more than 5 years. You'll need to enter a valid UK postcode to complete the application process.
If you're based outside the UK and wish to have your music supported by MOBO, you can of course send a link to your music to our editorial team. You should find the relevant contact details on our 'Contact Us' page.
Yes, applicants must be aged 18 or older at time of application.
• Entrants to MOBO UnSung must reside in the United Kingdom.
• Entrants must write/compose their own music and maintain full ownership of it
• Entrants must not be signed to a major or independent record label
• Entrants must not be signed to a music publishing company or have a management deal
• Deadline for entries is August 12 2018 at 23:59.
• The 10 finalists are expected to be availble for any UnSung live performance opportunities
• The 10 finalists are expected to attend the final judging panel day in London and organise and pay for their own travel.
• The 10 finalists who are approached to take part in MOBO UnSung performance opportunities must be 18+
.•The 3 finalists are expected to attend the MOBO Awards Nominations launch, as well as other key dates within the MOBO Awards season if required
• MOBO Organisation reserves the right to adjust any terms and conditions at any time
To apply for MOBO UnSung, simply head over to the official MOBO UnSung landing page and complete the application form by the specified closing date. This is an opportunity to tell us about yourself, your brand, as well as your music.
Artists interested in applying need to have the following items available:
As per MOBO privacy guidelines, we will keep all your personal information confidential and generally only use the information provided within the MOBO Organisation.
**Information such as artist bios and social media links will be used to build your profile and may be shared on a public domain.
In previous years, this stage of the UnSung competition would include a public vote to assist with narrowing the Top 20 down to 10 finalists, who would go on to meet and perform for our esteemed MOBO UnSung judging panel. However, after careful consideration and feedback from key members of the music industry as well as previous UnSung finalists, we have decided to replace the public voting stage of the competition with an exciting new element.
With the wealth of incredible talent across a multitude of genres, as well as striving to make the process as fair as possible to all artists who make it to this stage in the competition, the public vote will make way for a review by independent, external music connoisseurs who will screen the selected entries to arrive at the Top 10 finalists who will go on to meet the MOBO UnSung judging panel in the next stage of the competition.
With UnSung entrants enjoying different levels of support among fans, family and friends and us also wanting to give each genre an equal opportunity, we feel that this new route is a welcome improvement.
The 10 Successful applicants will be notified in September and briefed on the judging panel stage of the competition.
During this stage of the process, MOBO and the music connoisseurs will consider the following criteria when reviewing each applicant:
A representative from the MOBO UnSung team will contact all successful applicants by email/telephone to notify them that they have been successful in making the MOBO UnSung Top 10.
Once the Top 10 have been selected and contacted, an esteemed judging panel made up of music industry experts will convene to review the Top 10 and produce the 3 finalists, and eventual winner.
The judging panel stage of the UnSung competition will take place at a London venue in September.
The selected winner of MOBO UnSung 2018 will be announced at our nominations launch in September. The Top 3 finalists will each be invited to attend, with the winner being invited to perform.
A nationwide search culminates in a MOBO UnSung Top 10, 3 finalists receiving grants towards their work, as well as a year-long artist development program of industry and production workshops facilitated by MOBO.
| Prizes | Partners |
| Bursaries | |
| Studio Time | |
| Distribution Package | TuneCore |
| A&R Process Opportunity |
|
| Live Performance Recordings | |
| Music Video Production + Promotion | Link Up TV |
| MOBO UnSung Showcase | |
| 12-month Bursary Membership to The Hospital Club | The Hospital Club |
| Songwriting Masterclass | |
| Songwriting Session and potential opportunity to perform on a Craig David Tour date | |
| MOBO Music Academy Seminars | |
| Live Performance Opportunities | MOBO Awards Nominations Launch (London) More TBA |
| Online Profiles |
The list above reflects the total package of prizes known at launch date, which the eventual winner will have access to. The remaining finalists will have access to a number of the above activities, which will be communicated at a later stage.
Unfortunately, because of the volume of applications that MOBO receives for the UnSung competition, we can’t provide feedback to every applicant.
However, there are plenty of other MOBO initiatives geared towards supporting emerging talent which you can explore here.
If you wish to get in touch with the MOBO UnSung team, please contact unsung@mobo.com with your query clearly stated in the subject line. A member of the UnSung team will aim to get back to you within 48 hours.
As always, you can refer to the MOBO UnSung FAQ page or Terms and Conditions for further details.
When talking about the 2018 MOBO UnSung competition, please use #MOBOUnSung.
For MOBO UnSung finalists:
Excited and honored to be in the #MOBOUnSung Top 20! Help me make the Top 10 by voting for me at voting.mobo.com/unsung
For congratulating MOBO Unsung finalists:
So many talented artists featured in this year’s @MOBOAwards #MOBOUnSung competition! To support emerging talent + to find out further info on the competition, head over to mobo.com/unsung.
And please make note of our MOBO UnSung URL link.
