Backing for XPERFORM contest to find new Mideast talent Kingdom’s MDLBEAST Records will sign promising artists RIYADH: XP Music Futures, one of the flagship events of MDLBEAST, the Saudi music entertainment company, revealed on Tuesday its partnership with YouTube in support of Saudi Arabia’s music industry and emerging Middle East artists. The partnership will see YouTube sponsor the XPERFORM initiative, which aims to discover and nurture emerging musical talent in the Middle East. YouTube will also run a boot camp to help artists reach a wider audience using the platform’s multiple formats. YouTube offers a platform for emerging artists from across Saudi Arabia to share their vocal talents with the world using different formats, including long-form, shorts and live streams. Globally, YouTube has over 80 million music and premium subscribers. It has over 2 billion logged-in viewers who watch music videos every month as of June 2020. XP Music Futures, the three-day annual conference held in Riyadh last December, launched XPERFORM, which is a music competition for vocalists. The competition allows applicants to share their vocal talent and the opportunity to potentially grow their music careers with MDLBEAST Records, the company’s record label arm which produces and distributes music by local, regional and international artists. XP Music Futures Director Nada Alhelabi said: “We are thrilled to partner with YouTube on XPERFORM this year, to discover and nurture the next generation of musical talent in the Middle East.” “This initiative aligns with our mission to create opportunities for artists and showcase the vibrant music scene in the region,” she added. The Saudi singer, Asayel, was discovered through XPERFORM in 2022 and has signed with MDLBEAST Records. YouTube also shared that in January, artists active on Shorts saw more than 50 percent of their new channel subscribers coming directly from their posts. Commenting on the partnership, Liliana Abudalo, the MENA head of YouTube Music, said: “We know that YouTube is where creators make the deepest connections with their audience at scale: Creators including artists tell us that the relationships they build with their fans are more lasting, and more meaningful than anywhere else.” XPERFORM applications are open until May 20. The top 25 applicants will be invited for a live audition day on June 25 at the Music Hub, a music educational center part of the Music Commission in Riyadh. The boot camp will also help coach the artists on channel optimization to increase their reach on YouTube and how best to prepare for the next stage of the competition. The 10 finalists will then go through a popularity contest on YouTube Shorts where the audience will be able to vote for their favorite contestant, to help the judges decide on the top five contestants who will perform at XP Music Futures.