The Best of the Best: The Performers
This year we’re thrilled to have two fantastic performers taking the stage at the 2023 Golden Vines Awards.
DJ Fat Tony
If you asked were who had one of the most enviable and star-studded address books in the world, you would be hard pressed to find someone with more A-listers on speed dial than Tony Marnach, AKA DJ Fat Tony, who counts Kate Moss, Boy George, and Edward Enniful among his inner-circle, and has partied with the likes of Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Madonna and Elton John. From a youth spent on Battersea council estate to being plucked from obscurity aged just 18 to DJ in some of New York’s most iconic nightclubs, to blazing a trail through the charts and the subsequent recovery from a series of addictions that nearly killed him, Tony has lived a thousand lives in one and made the most of every minute.
Since his auspicious start in the business, Fat Tony has had his say in paving the way for the UK’s current music scene. There isn’t a dancefloor worth mentioning that he hasn’t DJ’d. Early on he won residencies for Trade at Turnmills, Egg and Limelight while also making his mark in New York holding a weekly show at The Palladium for Steve Rubell during the height of Paradise Garage. He has also graced the main floor of Privilege Ibiza, Space, Amnesia and DC10, and is a regular at Ministry of Sound and Glitterbox. Tony has recently added working with Miley Cyrus, Madonna and his own personal idol Mary J Blige to his list of accomplishments, not to mention one of his proudest moments as a key figure in the LGBTQIA+ community; working with Lady Fag on the Vienna Life Ball 2017.
A life of 24-hour hedonism often comes at a price, and Tony has been refreshingly candid about his relationship with the drugs which fuelled his relentless ascension to the top of the music industry, but also cost him personally. Having found sobriety in 2006, he has risen like a phoenix to cement his reputation as one of the world’s most in-demand DJs, manning the decks for the cream of the fashion industry, the celebrity A-list, and royalty all over the planet - even becoming the official DJ to the Beckhams and Versace and creating chart conquering hits with Boy George, alongside writing a best-selling memoir ‘I Don’t Take Requests’ published in 2022.
DJ Fat Tony will be closing our ‘Dress to Party’ event in the stunning Pavillon de Bercy. Come ready to really let your hair down!
Cat Burns
If Fat Tony is the trailblazing music biz veteran, then our second performer, 23 year-old Cat Burns, is the hot new talent on the rise. Destined to follow an equally dazzling trajectory, the platinum-selling singer and songwriter from Streatham and former BRIT school student went from busking on the Southbank to mastering Tik Tok in lockdown, singing a mix of her favourite covers and original music. Her videos soon exploded, bringing her to the attention of fans and the industry, and giving her the ammunition she needed to create the music that was meaningful to her.
Since then Cat Burns' career trajectory has gone from strength to strength, from becoming the biggest-selling British female artist of 2022, to receiving several accolades and counting. Earlier this year, she received three BRIT Award nominations (‘Song of The Year’, ‘Best Pop/R&B’ and Rising Star), included in BBC Sound Poll 2023 shortlist, became Spotify’s Global RADAR artist and received a nomination for the ‘Rising Star Award’ at this year’s Ivor Novello’s.
This year she has continued to tick off the kind of life-changing career milestones and personal highs most performers can only dream of. Her 2x platinum, viral smash ‘go’ peaked at #2 on the Official Singles Chart and remained in the Top 10 for 17 weeks, bolstered by a show-stopping, all-eyes-on-the-artist performance at this years’ BRIT awards. She has also supported Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran on their recent tours, as well as taking the stage at Glastonbury and successfully completing her first ever American run of headline shows.
She takes the most era-defining aspects of the Gen Z experience and combines them with something deeply personal but instantly relatable. Her elegant, frank, conversational lyrics and melodies are instantly recognisable and entirely her own. A picture-perfect pop star for a new generation with an eclectic sense of taste and influences, blending gospel, pop, and guitar-driven indie, she proudly cites Sheeran, India Arie and Tori Kelly as a few of her biggest inspirations. Once you hear her, you’ll know she’s destined for the same success.
Louane
We couldn’t have an event in Paris without paying our respects to the country’s huge well of home grown talent. Louane is a French singer and actress very much on the rise. A precocious talent who was always destined for success, she got her first taste of recognition on the reality show L’École des Stars in 2008 before her big break on The Voice in 2013. Louane wowed the judges and quickly became a firm fan favorite. This national platform launched her to stardom and allowed her to flex her acting muscle when she was cast in Éric Lartigau’s La Famille Bélier (2014), a role that earned her a Most Promising Actress award at the 40th annual Césars. The following year, Chambre 12 (2015), her debut album, went straight to Number 1 in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, propelled by the chart-topping single “Avenir.” The LP eventually went double diamond in her native France and paved the way for Louane (2017), yet another smash hit of an album that topped the French charts and featured many guest appearances. Almost three years later, she returned with Joie de Vivre (2020), her third full-length, which found the singer steering towards Latin pop music, trap, and hip-hop, as evidenced by the lead single “Donne-moi ton cœur,” written in collaboration with rapper Damso.
She unveiled the single "Secret“ last October now certified gold, and returned in December 2022 with her new album Sentiments, inspired by stories the fans shared with her. After having sold out all of her Parisian dates, Louane announced an international tour, but also a re-edition of her album Sentiments Heureux in October with a special single with the electro band Clean Bandit.
DJ Fat Tony, Cat Burns and Louane will be performing at this year’s Golden Vines® Awards taking place in Paris 13-15th October 2023.