The public have spoken, casting votes in their droves to give the remarkable Brazzaville mezzo-soprano singer-songwriter Fanie Fayar an overwhelming majority in the ballot for UPBEAT’s Best New Talent 2024 Award.

Fanie’s lithe fusions of pygmy polyphonies, funk, pop and explosive urban beats (check the latest single ‘Bo Yoka’, below) ensured the soon-to-be-star a clear margin of victory in the poll, landing her an exclusive showcase slot at the A to JazZ Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria this month, as well as the opportunity to shoot a bespoke music video with La Blogothèque, for part of the Paris-based collective’s coveted Take Away Show series.

Commenting on her success, Fanie says: “I am very honoured and proud to have this European prize which I dedicate to the people who showed their love by voting for me, yes we won it together. This award is the symbol of resilience, the fruit of hard work with confidence and determination, I am very proud to have won it. This is a new page in the development of my career in Europe.”