Nordic Music Biz Announces 2025 Top 20 Under 30 Honorees

The Nordic music industry proudly unveils the 2025 edition of theNordic Music Biz’ Top 20 Under 30, celebrating the most promising young professionals shaping the future of music across the region.The Top 20 Under 30 list was created to spotlight emerging talent and ensure continued innovation and renewal in the Nordic music industry.The award underlines the strong collaborative spirit of the Nordic countries in promoting talent and exporting music to international markets.

Now in its eighth year, the initiative—established by NOMEX (Nordic Music Export)—recognizes 20 exceptional individuals under the age of 30 who are driving innovation, creativity, and global impact in the Nordic music scene.The honorees represent a diverse cross-section of the industry, from artist management and live promotion to digital strategy and label leadership.Being included on the list has become a mark of distinction for young professionals and is seen as a springboard for further influence and opportunity within the music business.

A jury of 17 influential figures from across the five Nordic countries and the Faroe Islands evaluated candidates based on company growth, career trajectory, peer recognition, artistic development, innovation, and measurable industry impact in 2024–2025. The selectionprocess also emphasized gender balance and diversity, core values of the Top 20 Under 30 initiatives. The 2025 awardees will be officially celebrated at a ceremony during the by:Larm Festival in Oslo on Thursday, September 11th 2025.

For more informationhttps://www.nomex.site/top20under30.

2025 Winners – NORDIC MUSIC BIZ’ TOP 20 UNDER 30

Denmark:

Molly Mercedes Marlow (DK)
Tour Manager & Production manager, VEGA & Freelance

Molly began her career in the music industry as a Venue Manager at the Copenhagen venue VEGA, while simultaneously completing her studies in Media Production & Management. During this time, she also interned ata music agency and began building her touring career alongside her venue work. She later came to join Def Jam Recordings Denmark at Universal Music as a junior product manager, before returning to VEGA to take on her current role as a venue production manager. Over the past years, Molly has tour managed multiple artists including Erika de Casier, Jada, and Coco O., with highlights such as Coachella, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza Berlin, and Royal Arena.

For Erika de Casier, Molly first tour managed numerous European shows before taking on full logistics and production management for the Still tour across North America and Europe. She coordinated travel, schedules, and production for the team throughout the entire run. Molly has been tour managing the Danish artist Jada for several years, handling all her live shows across Denmark and Europe. In addition to touring, Molly supports Jada closely with day-to-day management, project development, and the coordination of TV performances and other key appearances.

At VEGA, Molly plays a central role in the venue production team, advancing and coordinating the technical and logistical aspects across 350 local as well as international shows annually.

Molly is known for creating calm, structured environments and remaining composed under pressure while supporting artists and crews with positive, solution-oriented approach—both on the road and in venues. The past few years have been key to Molly’s growth, as she has stepped into greater lead.

 

Daniel Bruhn (DK)
DJ, Founder, Tech Lead, Digital Distribution / Creak Inc, All We Need,
Playback, Mother Tongue.

Daniel Bruhn (aka. Dee Brown) has over 15+ experience working at the intersection of underground culture, technology, and independent music. From sneaking into clubs at 14 to DJ, to founding record labels, promoting parties, and coding software —he has always poured heartinto nurturing and evolving the music around him. With a BA in Music Management from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and a Master of Science in Software Design from the IT University of Copenhagen, Daniel moves fluidly between creative direction, platform development, andartist advocacy, always committed to independent music.

As founder of Creak Inc., he has built a boundary-pushing independent record label spanning contemporary jazz, deep house, broken beat, and hip-hop —releasing critically acclaimed projects from artists like Astrid Engberg, Jeremy Troy, and NATKAT. Trust, Engberg’s 2023 album, was one of the most played on DR P8 Jazz radio. Her work was nominated for a Danish Music Award Jazz, and gained international airplay on BBC, NTS, and Rinse FM. Both Engberg and Troy performed at Roskilde Festival in 2024.

In music tech, Daniel joined Playback as Product & Technology Lead in 2024 —a royalty management platform for indie artists and labels. He leads product strategy and platform architecture to reflect real-world industry needs, drawing on his deep industry fluency and Master’s degree, where he specialized in music metadata, collections, and music visualization. Playback is now used by some of Denmark’s most prominent independent artists and labels.

As Head of Digital Distribution, he developed Italy-based Mother Tongue Records’ global digital distribution arm in 2024, helping create one of the world’s only all-in-one ecosystems for physical and digital distribution with vinyl pressing.

Daniel is also the founder of All We Need, a club initiative with Okine, Rosa Maluna and world-renowned house dancer Marie Kaae, promoting soulful dance music and safer nightlife culture. In 2023–24, they hosted international DJs, ran safer space workshops, partnered with Distortion Festival, and received a KODA Kultur grant validating their work as an essential fixture in Copenhagen’s club scene.

As a DJ, Daniel has played NTS Radio (UK), Rinse FM (FR), Hör Berlin (DE), Dimensions Festival (HR), Southern Soul Festival (ME), Roskilde Festival (DK), Karrusel Festival (DK), Strøm (DK), and Den Anden Side (DK). With a selector’s ear and a dancer’s instinct, Daniel fuses house, acid, pure funk, jazzy inflections, soul, hip-hop, r&b, and techno —a reflection of both his curiosity and care, his sound is always challenging singularity in genre, style, or tempo by delivering emotion and groove.

 

Susi Castelo (DK)
Music Programmer, Booking agent, Live A&R, ALICE Cph

With a personal mission of creating bridges between Nordic and other cultures and nuancing representation of unobvious communities and overlooked diversity parameters, Spanish born and raised Susi Castelo has experience as a booker at Roskilde Festival and ALICE Cph, with a background as a film director, scriptwriter, and art director.

As the leader of this year’s Roskilde Festival First Days programming team, Susi has worked to create a visionary, sustainable booking room with space for difference, disagreement, self-criticism, transparency, creativity, and democratic decision-making. Her focus has been on honest, growth-encouraging leadership, new concert formats, the rethinking of ‘the unifying concert experience’, and the practice of diversity in overlooked areas of programming, such as Nordic diversity – accomplishing a Nordic representation record with this year’s program, where several ethnic minorities as well as all territories besides Åland and Finland are represented.

As the first Roskilde Festival booker recruited in an open call, Susi has in the last year gone to represent the festival and the Nordic music scene at 13 international festivals and conferences, participating in different diversity and live industry panels and radio and tv interviews, with a focus on challenging artistic and industry conventions and earning understanding of local scenes.

Strongly believing in cross-cultural exchange as a catalysator of artistic and industry innovation, she is also engaged in promotion of Nordic acts internationally and international acts in the Nordics, as part of the new Nordic live network supported by the Nordic Culture Fund – conceived to present more artists from all corners of the world in big as small Nordic towns.

In her music curation and creative sparring with artists, Susi braids in her audiovisual professional background to foster holistic music projects that expand the universe around their music through visual and narrative-building means, inspired by Spanish-speaking music’s strong audiovisual tradition.

 

Esben Aarup (DK)
Project manager, Fundraiser, Co-founder, UMTO, Live Incubator

Esben Aarup is a project manager, fundraiser, and connector working to reshape the music industry from the ground up. With a background in Music Management from RMC (Copenhagen) and a strong belief in structural change, he has spent the past seven years building platforms where young people can grow, create, and collaborate.

He currently spends most of his time leading UMTO (UngeMiljøernes TakeOver) —one of Denmark’s largest projects focused on young technicians and organizers from smaller cities across the country. Supported by a range of foundations and partners including Fermaten, SPOT, Roskilde Festival, Smukfest, and venues throughout Denmark, UMTO aims to strengthen the community-driven music cultures of the future.

Esben also co-founded Live Incubator, an initiative designed to foster collaboration and networking among emerging talents and changemakers within the European music scene. During its first two editions (2024 & 2025), Live Incubator brought together 40 talents from 21 countries to co-develop projects and prototype a more connected, sustainable live music ecosystem. Next up is a Nordic edition in partnership with SPOT Festival, Frontløberne, Arctic Sounds, Trondheim Calling, and Viva Sounds.

His other work includes founding Frekvens (Herning), co-leading the youth-driven humARTS (Antalya), co-founding Nightlife Boost (Herning), being selected for the European Music Council Fellowship 2022-24, serving on the board of Alive Festival (Thy) since 2024.At the heart of all this is a clear ambition: to push for a more open, curious and collaborative music industry for the next generation.

 

Yasemin Özcelik (DK)
Artist and label manager, MM Management

With a BA in Media Production and Management and an MA in Film and Media Science, Yasemin Özcelik has been an active on the Danish music scene since 2019, when her passion for connecting artists with their audiences truly ignited.

The past few years, Yasemin has been employed at MM Management, where her strategic approach has been instrumental in shaping the Danish music landscape, particularly within the hip-hop genre. Yasemin works with some of Denmark’s biggest and most influential artists including Artigeardit, Anton Westerlin, ICEKIID, JEFF3,Josef, and Lamin. She fosters a collaborative environment rooted in mutual understanding, deep respect for artistic vision, and a commitment to amplifying artists’ voices, being an integral part of their individual musical journeys. As a young manager, she believes the music industry should go beyond sound distribution, and instead strive to build lasting, meaningful connections between artists and their fans.

For the past year, Yasemin has also served as a consultant for Universal MusicDenmark, fulfilling the role of product manager for Artigeardit, Anton Westerlin, andLamin. Here she drives innovative and impactful campaigns, oversees release strategies, and manages public relations efforts that truly resonate with audiences.

Yasemin’s commitment to nurturing talent and driving positive change extends beyond her daily work. Her dedication has been recognized through her selection for prestigious programs such as the MXD New Female Entrepreneurs Accelerator, the international EMM power Mentorship Program, and the 2025 European TalentExchange Program at Eurosonic. In 2024, she was also a part of the Danish MusicAwards (DMA) jury.

 

Faroe Islands:

Dania O. Tausen (FO)
A&R, Social Media,Distribution, Artist,
Plátufelagið Tutl

Finland:

Henri Hagnäs (FI)
Head of bookings, United Stage Finland

Iivari Suosalo (FI)
A&R, Songwriter, Drummer, Warner Music Finland

Sarah Latosaari (FI)
Creative and Content manager, Universal Music Finland

Iceland:

Snorri Ástráðsson (IS)
Promoter, All Things Live Denmark

Agnes Hlynsdóttir (IS)
Promoter, Lemmy

Norway:

Mats P. Austgulen (NO)
Manager, CEO and Founder, Ugreit AS

Agnes Steen Eckersberg (NO)
Promoter, All Things Live

Sajje Solbakk (NO)
Festival Director, RidduRiđđu

Tatijana Todorovic (NO)
Senior Marketing Manager Nordics, The Orchard

Jericson Joseph (NO)
Partner, Manager, Publisher, Popular Demand

Sweden:

Waldemar Nordström (SE)
Music excecutive, artist manager, co-founder, WN
Entertainment & Boshi Collective

Naomi Wood (SE)
Founder, Manager and A&R,
Wood Music & Playground

Hilma Kekkonen Orrell (SE)
Business Developer, Sensus Music

André Wessely (SE)
Founder, 777 Sound& Seven Studios

2025 JURY – NORDIC MUSIC BIZ’ TOP 20 UNDER 30

Norway:
Stephanie Owusu, Branding & Communications Director / Sony Music Norway
Dennis Kiil, Founder / Kiil Management
Stian Nicolaisen, A&R / The Orchard

Sweden:
Holly Astera, Manager & VP of A&R / The Very Good
Ankit Desai, CEO / snafu records
My Bergman, Booking Agnet / Jubel

Finland:
Stella Kylä-Liuhala, Senior Project Manager / Ohlogy
Leevi Mäkinen, Artist Manager / PME
Miika Blomqvist

Denmark:
Søren Falk Madsen, Senior Int. Label Manager / Playground Denmark
Stine Omega, Booker / Copenhell
Rosa Lois Balle Yahiya, Co-founder and Leader / Another Life

Iceland:
Klaudia Gawryluk
Gabríel Ólafsson
Ægir Sindri Bjarnason

Faroe Islands:
Gunn Hernes
Marianna Nagata / Tutl.