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NextGen Fund Round Seven Recipients

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NextGen Fund Round Seven Recipients

Announcing the recipients of the sixth round of the Youth Music NextGen Fund: 34 young creatives making their ideas happen with a grant of up to £2,500.

The Youth Music NextGen Fund has been made possible thanks to our principal partners the Players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and support from PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) and the Dr Martens Foundation. We are also grateful for our vital support from the National Lottery via Arts Council England.

alex james wears a shiny purple jacket, sunglasses and plays a guitar while looking at the camera

Alex James

North East

Alex James' debut EP, 'WAVES', will embody a collection of songs which can each be interpreted in their own unique way. "It aims not only to provide some relatability and a sense of hope, but also provides proof that an individual with DMD can make waves in a generally inaccessible industry," he says.

ambrose hill sits on a chair in a black hoodie and trousers. it is night and the skyline glows behind them.

Ambrose Hill

South East

"Imagine a world where you were always watched, every move, every breath, win, loss and mistake. This project takes my experience of an intense paranoid psychosis and repackages it into the story of a star, constantly watched by the world but never acknowledged for their gifts," Ambrose explains of their NextGen Fund supported project, 'Silent Paparazzi'.

athena aperta crouches in a garden

Athena Aperta

South West

Athena Aperta plans to use the Youth Music NextGen Fund to release two singles from their upcoming album. It will be a project with "a variety of instruments and sounds exploring vulnerability, a journey from BPD, depression, anxiety, addiction towards ADHD diagnosis, autism self-diagnosis, sobriety, CPTSD awareness and spiritual practice. I want to provide music to help others heal," they share.

blades wears a blue tulle dress and has blonde hair

Blades

Yorkshire and the Humber

Blades plans to make a self-titled indie EP consisting of three to four songs that she plans to release individually to gain exposure and develop a fan base. The tracks will be a mixture of self-produced and collaborative with another producer. As well as the project itself, Blades will use the NextGen Fund to hire a rehearsal space for her release show, a promo shoot with a photographer and a live music video shot with videographer, as well as festival travel support.

a woman looks over her shoulder. her dark hair is pulled back in a bun

Boo

North East

Boo plans to host four club nights and four free open decks sessions in order to provide elevated paid performance opportunities to local artists. 'Ghetec' will be a hub for emerging artists and cutting edge electronic music.

a person with auburn hair flicks their hair back dramatically

Branwell Black

Greater London

Branwell Black's 'Sell My Soul' project will be their first EP with songs that they have been touring for the past three years. "It will be four Pop/Rock songs with a queer message of freedom, being true to yourself and never 'selling your soul'," they say.

catriona holds a harp

Catriona Bourne

West Midlands

Catriona has composed a set of five songs for the electric harp, electric guitar, drumkit and bass. The multi-instrumentalist is set to perform these in upcoming October and November gigs, including the London Jazz Festival. She also plans to record them in a studio for an EP, 'Triquetra'.

charlotte forman wears glasses, has dark hair with a fringe and smiles

Charlotte Forman

North East

Charlotte Forman plans to tour her music around the UK to build new fans and release new music with the Youth Music NextGen Fund. The EP will be based on all personal experiences, and include Charlotte's experience of having autism.

cherry has pink hair and leans against a wall in the countryside

Cherry Seraph

Yorkshire and the Humber

Cherry will release a single titled 'Ebb and Flow', produced by herself in her home studio, and outsourced for mixing and mastering. Cherry will undertake the marketing and promotion herself. She plans to also make a music video which she will use to create marketing content across socials.

deela wears a pink fluffy oufit and tinted sunglasses

DEELA

South West

DEELA plans to create a project by collaborating with emerging UK artists. Expect versatile tracks, hard-bass hitting beats and DEELA expanding her wings to try new genres

dj pebz

DJ PEBZ

Greater London

DJ PEBZ will use the Youth Music NextGen Fund for Square 1 Sessions (S1S), a music platform for young people (16-24) in East London who are aspiring artists. S1S is a place where young people can create their own music, meet new people and get insights into the music industry.

ekkinz wears a black t-shirt and a grey beanie

Ekkinz

North West

Ekkinz will release a self-produced EP, 'Glimmer', featuring a blend of drill and jersey club instrumentals. "It delves into themes of infatuation, attachment, uncertainty and healing, exploring the intersection of mental health in relationships. The title refers to the hope creative outlets can provide as-well as the sonic pallet throughout the EP," he explains.

eli ellis

Eli Ellis

East Midlands

Eli plans to release three singles in the style of 90s and 2000s R&B/Soul. His inspirations include Boys II Men, 112, Usher and Justin Timberlake. Eli will be writing, producing, mixing and mastering this project. He wants to explore his skills as a musician, particularly as a producer and songwriter.

frankie wears a blue outfit and poses against a blue background

Frankie Jobling

North East

Frankie will record and release a three track EP, 'Lessons', using the Youth Music NextGen Fund for recording costs, mixing and mastering, press shots and cover art. She also plans to hire a social and digital marketing agency for several months and create a music video.

freddy gillmore

Freddy Gillmore

South West

"Combining the traditional songwriting of my piano ballads with the alt-rock edge of my band, I make pessimistic pop music to reflect the spirit of my generation," Frankie says. Based in Manchester, he recently headlined the iconic Deaf Institute. His single 'Albatross' has been described as "Amy Winehouse, influenced by Trip Hop".

hannah sits in a garden of flowers

Hannah Paloma

Wales

Hannah Paloma will record a single using the Youth Music NextGen Fund as well as creating a live music video featuring some of the songs in her discography. She hopes that these plans will help to define her sound as an artist.

icey stanley has long hair and wears a white shirt and shorts

Icey Stanley

West Midlands

'Rediscovery' is an Afro R&B project that will dive deep into a journey we can all relate to. "It's about rediscovering ourselves as we get older, finding what truly makes us happy, and coming back to our true selves with sometimes losing friends and family along the way," Icey explains.

james smiles and wears a purple t-shirt. he is standing at a merch stand

James Gillaspy

North West

James will work on a six month project, building up his zero-waste merch network for artists to access used clothing and get their designs printed onto them. He hopes to turn 'AGAIN' into an established local business, along with the creation of a national roll-out plan ready for implementation.

jusharry

JusHarry

Scotland

JusHarry will release a seven-track project called 'Dreams Die At Home', exploring the challenges he faces as an artist with autism and mental health issues. "It's a rallying cry for all those who have felt marginalised, involving collaboration with producers, performers, creative directors, videographers and graphic designers who have all experienced adversity in their own careers and lives," he says.

a man with dark brown fluffy hair wears glasses

Callum Kershaw

Scotland

Lune is a non-hierarchical record label and creative platform involved in the facilitation, production and distribution of music, publications and events. It aims to provide a collective outlet for marginalised/peripheral artists in the UK and internationally, a broad church for divergent, genreless music.

livvy k wears a yellow jumpsuit and sits on a cream sofa

Livvy K

North West

Consisting of six tracks, this project will bring together a story of Livvy's journey "over the last two years of becoming an independent strong woman and everything that comes with stepping into adulthood in a new city and discovering yourself in the 21st century."

a man wears a beanie and looks at the camera

M. Yesekaon

Wales

The project is an eight track album and centres around a road trip into Europe (the project will be made and released from Wales). There will also be a documentary of the process during creation, as well as music videos to accompany the rollout in order to offer something unique to the current landscape.

maddie sits on stage and plays the cello in indigo lighting

Maddie Ashman

South East

Maddie will release three songs featuring works in Just Intonation (pure tuning) for microtonal guitar and piano, cello, synth and voice. She will build a live set for these songs and create live videos to market them and secure gigs.

a woman with brown curly hair and glasses holds an acoustic guitar

Maple Ward

East of England

Maple's project involves the creation of her debut EP, consisting of four original songs. She plans to record them in a studio alongside her friend who is a cellist.

mollie wears a crochet hat

Mollie Coddled

Yorkshire and the Humber

Mollie's project is a self-written/produced EP/mixtape that opens up conversations around queerness, sexuality, Autism and ADHD through a Dreampop / Bedroom Pop sonic lens.

a woman smiles outside some high rise buildings. she is wearing a red cardigan

Naima Adams

Greater London

The focus of Naima's project is to produce, self-release and create the artwork for two singles, exploring identity, belonging, community and vocal layering, which will help her to make the step-change in her career from session musician to solo artist with original music.

a person with short dark hair holds up a blue transparent square to the camera

RUÁ

Northern Ireland

RUÁ is an experimental folk singer-songwriter planning a conceptual EP exploring the topics of conflicted identities, featuring underrepresented voices. The main themes are: gender and sexuality, morals and ideologies, and heritage and nationality. There will be accompanying music videos, and an event to mark the EP launch. It will be a cross-community and cross-disciplinary project.

saloni

Saloni

South East

Saloni's EP is a body of six bilingual tracks with a mix of genres and languages to bridge the gap between the East and West. She will use the Youth Music NextGen Fund to write and compose three tracks, create one music video and market for the EP.

a woman with red hair turns to the side and looks in the mirror

Sarah Ann Rée

Northern Ireland

Sarah will create their an album following challenges she has faced this year. She aims to put a focus on production for this project using the Youth Music NextGen Fund.

a man performs into a microphone. people dance in the background

Shogun Shato

Greater London

"After feeling extreme levels of frustration towards various aspects of life in the UK, and fully believing that "we can be better", I travelled to different countries hoping that, through experiencing different cultures, I could better understand myself and those around me. 'Road Trippin' is the story of that journey," Shogun offers.

sorry stacy

sorry stacy

Wales

sorry stacy's album will focus "on a personal journey of transition from isolation into adulthood in a post-pandemic world." They will deliver two new singles and two accompanying music videos.

sunkissed child

Sunkissed Child

Greater London

Sunkissed Child's debut EP, 'Sunkissed', is aptly set to be released during the summer of 2024. It will feature a culmination of over a year's worth of releases that will blend R&B, Neo-Soul, and Jazz, with Middle-Eastern influences, and a strong infusion of sunkissed / blissful energies.

tom holds his red cap and wears a white jacket

Tom Hodson

East Midlands

Tom will create a four-track concept EP, taking a stance against mental illness, using metaphors such as seasons and rebirth in order to provide uplift and comfort to people who may be struggling or have struggled. "I love to celebrate wellness, and would deeply love my music to do the same," he adds.

yume  wears a black t shirt and red flannel shirt

Yumé NET

Greater London

Yumé will create a three-part experimental electronic composition "exploring the devastation, anger, and helplessness I've [felt] as a trans person attempting to access healthcare from the NHS. The piece centres around chopped/warped screams, orchestral instruments, and glitchy noise that collectively scream in the face of these systems that demand that we worship them," she says.