Skiddle's Artist of the Year

The end of the year is almost here. All sorts of madness has gone down these past twelve months, but we’ll be focusing on the important bits: the music. 

2022 has been a stunning year for music. We experienced some huge moments, like Beyoncé with her incredible Renaissance, Kendrick Lamar with his highly anticipated Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, John Frusciante returned to the Chilli Peppers, and the list goes on. 

But amongst the countless brilliant artists, there’s always one who stands head and shoulders above the rest. The one who has stolen the spotlight thanks to their creativity, jaw-droppingly stunning live performances, and, of course, tunes that slap so hard you can’t help but pull a nasty face of approval when you hear it. This is Skiddle’s artist of the year.

Now, we could have thought long and hard about who deserves the title, but the answer was obvious. Data doesn’t lie. And our data revealed you lot couldn’t get enough of one particular artist. His Scottish tour sold out in 10 minutes. And the first edition of his brand new festival sold out in just three seconds. That same festival saw over 10,500 of you sign up for tickets for the pre-sale alone! To put that in perspective, that’s over double the festival's capacity of 5,000. And no artists were even announced except himself. 

We won’t keep you guessing any longer. Of course, we’re talking about rapidly rising Scottish techno star Ewan McVicar!

Bursting into the spotlight following the release of his 2021 award-winning debut single, Tell Me Something Good, Ewan has only gone from strength to strength. His debut banger has been played all over by some of the biggest names in the game, even reaching the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. Ewan had an insane year, bringing his warm, positive sets all across the globe. He brought the party to Creamfields, Parklife, Terminal V, Warehouse Project, Annie Mac’s Lost and Found Festival, Amnesia in Ibiza, Truck Festival, Hideout Festival, and so, so many other massive events.

The soon-to-be techno titan, hailing from Ayr, Scotland, graduated with a degree in teaching before turning his attention to full-time DJing. Safe to say we’re all buzzing with his decision!

This February, he dropped his EP Movin’ On Over and two-track EP, Heather Park, with the title track written about the street he grew up on. It’s clear he’s bursting with ideas, and we can’t wait to watch his sure-to-be blistering career from the crowd alongside you all.

Based on his unrelentingly killer 2022, we’re sure Ewan’s going to absolutely smash 2023 out of the park. An obvious musical talent and a sound guy, the sky’s the limit for this young DJ and producer.

Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.