Gorka Urbizu clinches Best Album in Basque at the MIN Awards

Gorka Urbizu won Best Album in Basque at the MIN Independent Music Awards. The awards ceremony was held on 29 April 2025 in Madrid, with four other artists in contention: TOC (Jaioak Hiltea Zor), Ezpalak (Gatza), Janus Lester (LORE) and Olatz Salvador (Zainak eman).

Gorka Urbizu won the award for his album ‘Hasiera bat’, released in 2024 without any prior announcement or previews. It is the first solo work by the former lead singer of the band Berri Txarrak. The album focuses on beauty and rawness, taking us on a journey to the very heart of song. Instead of adding layers of sound to his songs, Urbizu strips them down to their bare essentials.

Gorka Urbizu (1977, Lekunberri) is a musician and producer from Navarra. He was the singer and guitarist for ‘Berri Txarrak’ throughout the band´s 25-year run. He was also a member of the groups Katamalo and Peiremans+, demonstrating both creativity and artistic evolution. In 2024, Urbizu began his solo career with the award-winning album ‘Hasiera bat’ and in 2025 he released two songs on the album ‘Bakan (I)’.

In addition to being nominated for Best Album in Basque, Gorka Urbizu was also shortlisted for Album of the Year and Best Musical Production.

Other Basque artists competed in various categories: Judith Jáuregui with the Castile and León Symphony Orchestra and La Ritirata were nominated for Best Classical Album, while Ben Yart and Chill Mafia were nominated for Best Urban Recording.

MIN Awards

The MIN Awards (Premios MIN) were created in 2009 by the non-profit association of independent music companies in Spain, Unión Fonográfica Independiente, to recognize artistic creation, celebrate cultural diversity, honour new talent, and acknowledge the artistic excellence of independent music produced in Spain. Every year, they promote music published by independent labels as well as self-published works both nationally and internationally.