AB and Youth L'AB are organizing the one-day festival Essence on Sunday, October 2. The youngsters of Youth L'AB present a program with exciting talks, showcases of promising Belgian artists (Cyra Gwynth, Alioth, LeBlanc, ...) and a banging afterparty. 

Youth L'AB is AB's laboratory for the multilingual youngsters of Brussels. With Essence they lay bare the core of their experience in Youth L'AB: a love for hip-hop and a great hunger for knowledge about the music world.

Showcases

CYRA GWYNTH

Cyra is a young, ambitious singer and a rare new talent. She started making music in 2015 and pursues her passion, following in the footsteps of her idols Kehlani, Aaliyah, Jhene. Since 2018, she’s released a couple of EPs that include singles No and DGAF. Her music is a tribute to 90’s R&B idols like Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child and Brandy. Cyra’s aesthetic choices takes us back in time. Inspired by her mixed Filipino and Dutch heritage, she isn’t afraid to be bold and frequently collaborates with artists from The Netherlands. Her long-awaited EP ‘Conscious’ came out on April 22nd. Together with close friend and producer Lamsi, she put her heart and soul into this musical journey.

For fans of : Destiny's Child, TLC, Brandy, Aaliyah, Summer Walker, Sabrina Claudio, MEYY, Kehlani, Tinashe, Jhene Aiko, …

ALIOTH

Alioth’s soft and soothing voice will melt your mellow heart. Alioth started posting small videos of his freestyles and songs on Instagram which caught the eye of his mentor and ”big brother” Chuki Beats, who took him under his wings. Last year, he released his first EP ‘Delusia’ which included the hit single Secrets that reached over 100,000 streams on Spotify. His music style is R&B inspired and could be compared to artists such as Chris Brown or The Weeknd. Alioth’s lover-boy aesthetic proves that he’s not afraid to write lyrics that come straight from the heart.

For fans of : The Weeknd, Bryson Tiller, Chuki Beats, Brent Faiyaz, Sonder, …

LEBLANC

LeBlanc is the newest kid on the block. He makes refreshing Dutch hip-hop on pumping new school beats. The young Brussels artist is making a name for himself in the music scene. He already played showcases in the AB and the VK, gave his first headline show in Pilar and was the support act for Brihang. Last year, he also participated in the artist contest ‘Soundtrack’ and started his own radio show at BRUZZ. LeBlanc just released his new single ‘In de hoogte’ and is expected to release an EP by the end of the year! Expect 100% young energy with a juicy Brussels accent.

For fans of : Stikstof, Zwangere Guy, Chuki Beats, Brihang, Denzel Curry, …

SOUSSIYA

Soussiya is a young and independent singer whose energy sets the room ablaze. She has a fire in her that pushed her to pursue her dreams. Her name is inspired by her Moroccan roots, which she’s learned to embrace later on in life. She’s been passionate about music since childhood but only devoted herself to writing in 2019. Completely self-made, Soussiya records her songs in her home studio, mixing Moroccan inspired music with groovy beats. These past year, she’s continued to develop her own style. Soussiya will be releasing new music this year.

For fans of : Sean Paul , Nicki Minaj , Lyna Mayhem, Lil Kim, Bob Marley, …

BUTTERFLY : THE WAVE

Butterfly: The Wave is a young collective created by four hip-hop enthusiasts wanting to create a new wave of hip-hop/rap/R&B. They’re inspired by a lot of lesser known artists, while trying to stay true to where hip-hop originated from. Mixing multiple languages, because everyone is his own person and has to be able to express themselves in their own way!

For fans of: Shoreline Maffia, Adf Samski, Smib, Ray Fuego, Ares, Dinos, Nekfeu, Pierre Bourne, …

Talks

With two fascinating talks, Youth L'AB aims to give other young people the chance to get to know the music world better. You get a look behind the scenes through the eyes of artist managers, artists and more.

Internet Music Industry (NL)

During the ‘Internet Music Industry’ talk, we will focus on the impact of social media and the Internet on the music world. Social media create many opportunities for independent artists. Yet it's not always clear how to best use them. Alioth (Artist) and another speaker (tba) will share their insights. Discover how to market yourself as an artist and how to grow your fanbase with social media. This talk is in Dutch. 

Stand Out in BXL (FR)

With 'Stand Out in BXL' we go deeper into how you can profile yourself as an artist. Recording equipment has become affordable and bedrooms now serve as studios. Because of this accessibility, the number of artists trying to achieve eternal fame has grown enormously. Stanley Zotres (ISHA management) and Sacha Estelles (Five Oh) are well versed in artist management. They talk about how to stand out from the competition, how to develop a unique identity and how to communicate it to the outside world. This talk is in French.

Afterparty

Essence ends with a great afterparty. The line-up of local Brussels DJs will be announced later.

About Youth L'AB

What goes on in the heads of generations X, Y, Z and beyond? To find an answer to that question and to create a genuine bond with the multilingual youth of Brussels, AB set up its own youth laboratory. Under the name Youth L'AB, six committed, multi-talented young people were part of the AB team for more than a year. AB offered the Youth L'AB team the space to develop and supports them in organizing their events.

Read more about Youth L'AB and Essence here.