By Sara Bright
Anastasiia Ledovskaia, an artist who records as Lemy, has secured this July’s Creativity’s Prize for Performing Arts with her track, “Boy.”
The piece earned the spot because of how it’s built. It creates a tense, atmospheric world out of a shoegaze haze, sharp electronic jolts, and a vocal that cuts right through the static. While technical skill is a given for any work considered, the committee’s decision often comes down to cultural resonance. This is where Lemy’s work stood out. There’s an emotional honesty to it that feels entirely of the moment.
A Sound That Resists Labels
Trying to pin a genre on the composition is a useless exercise. You can hear flickers of indie rock, synth-pop, and ambient soundscapes, but the track refuses to settle comfortably into any of them. It’s the sound design, really, that leaves a mark. As arts critic Lana Sterling noted, the track has a peculiar architecture. “Listening to ‘Boy’ is like looking at the architectural blueprint for a ghost,” she wrote. “You see the precise, digital structure, but the entire thing is built to house something deeply emotional and intangible.”
This win makes Lemy a finalist for the annual grand prize, but it also provides immediate, practical support. She receives a £1,500 commission to fund a new piece of work, which will premiere on the Creativity’s UK platform. The prize also includes a strategy session with Maria Bregman to help plan her next steps. This focus on tangible support is central to the prize itself, which was started in 2019 to answer a direct question: who is making the most vital work right now? Instead of an open call, artists are nominated by a trusted circle of galleries and curators, a method that serves as a first filter for professional intent.
