On Thursday we had the pleasure of attending Spotify’s annual Best New Artist Party at The Lot at Formosa in Los Angeles. This annual celebration spotlights the 8 artists nominated for The Grammy Awards’ Best New Artist category. The night was filled with amazing musical performances by this year’s nominees, complimentary cocktails, multiple photo booths and delicious food, but the highlight was by far the innovative Spray Bar courtesy of Magnum Ice Cream.
We caught up with the Magnum Ice Cream team to shed some light on this engaging activation, “Magnum Ice Cream is bringing indulgence to the spotlight with an exclusive spray bar experience at Spotify’s iconic Best New Artist 2026 Party. At one of the music industry’s most high-profile events, guests have the opportunity to personalize their own Magnum Ice Cream Bars with the name of their BNA nominee pick. The interactive activation allows attendees to treat themselves to a moment of luxury and creativity, perfectly complementing the celebration of emerging musical talent. Magnum continues to celebrate self-expression and enjoyment, making every experience a little more memorable.”
Not only did guests enjoy customizing these sweet treats, it provided a nice cool down in between the high-energy performances. Additionally there were a plethora of food stations including mini pizzas, tacos, burgers and limitless drinks. Hilton had an entire suite dedicated to their partnership with Spotify including complimentary key cards, a photo booth, custom cocktails and lite bites.
The performances kicked off with Grammy-Award winning Leon Thomas, up for 6 nominations this year. The audience went crazy for his live version of “Mutt,” followed by a stunning performance by Lola Young and an amazing set by The Marias. Lola Young’s emotional live performance of “Sad Sob Story” was everything and more. Alex Warren, Katseye and Sombr did not disappoint. Katseye slayed with their impeccable choreography and high-energy dance moves for hits like “Gnarly”. Addison Rae turned up the heat with her back-up dancers and performed breakout hit “Diet Pepsi.” Olivia Dean closed out the night and sang her viral record “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” leaving guests wanting more.
In addition to the stellar performances there were many special guests in attendance including PinkPantheress, Shaboozey, Kaytranada, Diplo, Zara Larsson, Larray, Murda Beatz and many more.