womex 2026 first artists gran canaria

WOMEX 2026 unveils first 17 acts ahead of Gran Canaria

WOMEX 2026 announces first wave of artists

The Festival and International Fair of World Music, WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo), which will hold its next international edition in Gran Canaria from 21st to 25th October, has announced the first 17 confirmed acts for its showcase concert programme. The musicians, representing 23 countries, were selected from more than 1,000 applications. They include artists who draw on the musical traditions of their home countries and others who develop contemporary sounds that break away from traditional stylistic barriers in search of new musical languages.

According to WOMEX organisers, “the independent WOMEX jury has put together a line-up that brings together emerging talent and established artists, united by artistic excellence across a wide variety of styles and cultures.” The programme, they say, “celebrates creativity without borders and reflects the immense musical diversity the world has to offer, with new talent alongside acclaimed masters.”

Spanish representation in the line-up

A Pedreira, the solo project of Galician singer-songwriter Ugia Pedreira, is the sole Spanish representative in this first batch of 17 artists. With a professional career spanning three decades and twelve albums across projects such as Nen@s da Revolta, A Matraca Preversa, Galegoz and Marful, alongside international collaborations and an unwavering defence of Galician music, her repertoire moves between folk, electronic music and Latin rhythms.

A global mosaic of sound

The full list of artists announced so far is as follows: Aizhan Sultan (Finlandia / Kazakhstan), Baile do Mestre Cupij (Brazil), Carmen Souza (Cape Verde / Portugal / United Kingdom), Claudio Rabe (Madagascar / La Réunion), Diyet & The Love Soldiers (Canada), Fabiola Méndez (Puerto Rico / USA), Faris Ishaq (Palestine / United Kingdom), Indus (Colombia), Ivo Dimchev (Bulgaria), Kadinelia (Greece), Kaito Winse (Burkina Faso / Belgium), Kasiva Mutua (Kenya), La Ciguë (France), Mehrnam Rastegari (Iran / USA), Sauljaljui (Taiwan) and Soumik Datta (India / United Kingdom).

The eclectic mix of world rhythms includes artists such as Ivo Dimchev, a provocative Bulgarian who combines dark humour, poetry and cabaret in a fusion of performance, dance and music. Aizhan Sultan is a Kazakh singer, composer and researcher based in Finland whose music reflects her journey across the world and her personal political and social experiences. Baile do Mestre Cupij is a ten-piece band from the Brazilian state of Pará who bring Amazonian rhythms to the stage with an energy that infects the audience. Carmen Souza, a Cape Verdean artist born in Lisbon, weaves together sodade, her Creole roots and jazz influences from Ella Fitzgerald to Miles Davis to create a completely unique sound. Claudio Rabe is a sonic alchemist from Madagascar who fuses rock, trance and Afro-psychedelic energy. Diyet and The Love Soldiers is a singer-songwriter born in Yukon whose music explores indigenous perspectives on land, tradition, trauma and healing. Fabiola Méndez is a Puerto Rican cuatro player, singer, educator and composer whose artistic vision and original music focus on exploring her culture, ancestry and identities. Faris Ishaq is a master of the nay (reed flute) and a Palestinian composer from Bethlehem who bridges a 5,000-year-old instrument with today’s international stages, intertwining Palestinian Tashbib melodies, energetic Dabke rhythms and acoustic effects. Indus is a group from Bogotá that fuses synthesisers and Afro-Colombian percussion in a proposition that leads straight to the dance floor.

Showcase selection and key programme sections

Full details of the showcase programme and selected artists for WOMEX 2026 are available online. The artistic proposals at this gathering once again focus both on emerging talents who challenge convention and on artists already established in their home countries with international projection. The Official Showcase Selection is designed each year through an open call to artists from every corner of the world. The final programme is determined by an independent international jury of seven experts, known in the industry as the ‘Seven Samurai’. This selection brings together a wide variety of proposals, placing particular emphasis on new artists seeking to break into the competitive international touring circuit.

Among the key sections of the programme, the Club Summit also stands out as an essential space for professionals and musicians interested in club sounds and electronic music with global roots.

New Atlantic Connections stage

As a new feature, the Atlantic Connections stage will serve as a tricontinental platform featuring nine artists from along the Atlantic, showcasing talent from the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America and Africa’s Atlantic coast. Within this framework, the Canary Islands occupy a privileged position: geographically African, politically European and culturally straddling Europe and the Americas, they act as the natural bridge and port of call between these three regions of the world.

Five days of global music

Every October, WOMEX becomes the epicentre of global music for five intense days of conferences, market activity and live performances. The event’s figures underline its relevance in the industry: a community of more than 2,600 professionals, including 260 artists on stage from over 90 countries. The trade fair also brings together more than 700 exhibiting companies. All this activity is spread across seven stages, complemented by over 100 speakers, film screenings, an opening concert and the prestigious WOMEX Awards ceremony.

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