The French pop sensation Sliimy and the British singer-songwriter Charlie Winston are among the winners of this year’s European Border Breakers awards.

Recognising success in reaching a wider audience, the European awards go to musicians with the best-selling debut albums in the EU, not including their home country.

They will be presented Friday at a televised ceremony in the Dutch city of Groningen on the opening night of the EuroSonic Noorderslag music festival. British TV personality Jools Holland will host the event, which will feature performances by current and previous winners.

The year’s winners are some of the hottest names on the European music scene. Besides Winston and Sliimy, they include Milow (Belgium), Peter Fox (Germany), Soap&Skin (Austria), Kerli (Estonia), Jenny Wilson (Sweden), Buraka Som Sistema (Portugal), Esmee Denters (The Netherlands) and Giusy Ferreri (Italy).

Still to be announced – the winner of the first “Public Choice” award, going to the best of the 10 bands in the public’s view. The vote was conducted online in December.

Now in their seventh year, Border Breakers showcase international success and support the European music industry, which employs some 600 000.

Former winners include now-established artists such as Carla Bruni, Adele, Katie Melua, Damien Rice, The Fratellis, Gabriel Rios and Tokio Hotel.