Why you should make an effort to discover the differences between MIAs and Golden Ks

Gouden K's and MIA target different audiences, but viewers are increasingly rewarding the same artists. The success of young musicians like Pomilian Theis and Aaron Blommert shows that children's and youth culture is bleeding into the mainstream. “The box mentality is disappearing.”

On the list of possible causes of family quarrels, Spotify's shared playlist composition has been at the highest level for years, however by accident Glue the pieces together. The debut album of actress and pop singer Pomilien Thies (22) has won almost all Belgian music awards in recent days. Last weekend, Ketnetters named her top female artist and awarded “Erop of eronder” the Golden K award for song of the year. The audience gave her five MIA awards on Wednesday night.

It would be easy to simply regard the artist as the greatest common denominator of Flemish culture, but there is more to it than that. Anyone who watched the MIAs with half an eye sometimes had to make an effort to see the differences with Ketnet's stunning display. In addition to Thejs, Metegor and she also dived #gayColleagues Camille Dhont and Aaron Blommaert are on the shortlist. Former Eurovision Song Contest nominee Gustav also sang his song “Because of You” at both shows.

Reverse movement

The fact that some artists are admired by different generations is not universal news. For example, a Clouseau, Tourist LeMc or Stromae achieved success at both award ceremonies. The only difference is that they first penetrated the adult audience and only later found their way into the ears of young people. On the other hand, Thijs, Blommaert and Dhont all found success thanks to the Ketnet series.

“It is fairly new for the Belgian music industry that artists who already have a young target audience are crossing over so quickly,” says Gerrit Kerremans, general music coordinator at VRT.

This is how Jilly Clemans felt at the end of the hit youth series Jumping In 2008, marketing his club was more difficult. The actors are out #gay It has an advantage because the series has already appealed to all ages. “The series gave Dutch classics a new look. Parents thought this was a good thing because they already knew the repertoire and it was easier to communicate with the artists,” says Kerremans.

As is the case in America

The intertwining of youth and mainstream culture also results in part from changing expectations among the public. “In the past, there was a lot of thinking in boxes, but that mentality is starting to disappear,” Keremans says.

This development has been continuing for some time in the United States. Olivia Rodrigo, one of the biggest pop discoveries in recent years, has achieved great success, just like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, thanks to her role in the Disney series. Unlike her older colleagues, she does not need to radically change her public image to gain credibility. During her concerts, crying teenagers and tormented forty-somethings stand next to each other.

“Young people in particular are no longer thinking about what genre they listen to, and radio stations are becoming less strict about what they play,” says independent chart watcher and Ultratop founder Sam Jaspers. With the arrival of so many streaming services, it is no longer just the broadcaster who determines which song can be a hit.

Show the other side

It remains difficult to estimate whether adult audiences will celebrate more of the former teen stars in the future. “Maybe there's one right now #gay-impact. “If it weren't for this series, I think there would have been less overlap or even no overlap at all,” Keremans says.

Furthermore, a distinction must be made between the original target audience of artists and the songs they create. It's not that children's music is suddenly being put on a pedestal. Only Camille still focuses on young listeners, and now Blommert and Tess make popular pop music. “'Make or Lose' is just a very good song. If you perform a song like this perfectly, the music speaks for itself and touches all ages,” says the VRT employee.

Through some smart career choices, Thijs has made it clear she's ready for a new chapter. With the role of bipolar Louise Knock is broken It shows them a completely different side of themselves.

There is a good chance that artists with a young following will do well in the coming years at award ceremonies such as the MIAs or Golden Ks. It's easy for them to rally fans to vote online. “The MIA Awards in particular are increasingly becoming public awards,” says Jaspers. “For example, the Album of the Year award used to be given by the industry itself. Theis probably wouldn't have won that trophy if it had still been the case.

In the four categories in which the industry had a say, all awards were lost. Although she may have instigated this dispute herself with “Ess or Unders”. “Give me all or nothing,” she sings in the song. And so it happened.