For outstanding lyrics in an original track from a Youth Music project.
A huge congratulations to all the nominees shortlisted for our Lyricist Award. The shortlisted nominees have shown skill in their craft, mixing styles from poetry to rap to take on social issues or reflect their personal experiences. Find out more about them below.
Taz – Different Perspective (winner)
Romsey Mill, Cambridge
Taz (18) lives in north Cambridge, recently declared the UK’s most unequal city.
Currently studying at 6th Form College, Taz started attending Romsey Mill’s music programme four years ago.
She’s passionate about rap, outspoken and eager to learn; and wrote two songs for Romsey Mill’s debut album, released this year.
Taz's nominator says, “This song reflects Taz's personal take on many of her own life experiences and issues she faces, such as frustration and anger at living in a city of great inequality, particularly in terms of education and opportunity; the expectations on her as a young woman living in a Muslim family; difficulties of being moved to a different school; and awkwardness and embarrassment of going to friends’ homes that seem much bigger and nicer than her own. In doing so, Taz highlights the side of a city that many people don't see, or even realise exists. Despite this, Taz's confidence in her own ability to achieve and overcome is the abiding theme of the song.”
Cheekz Rhymez, KayZee and WiLL - Finding My Voice
WiLL
WiLL is a rapper/songwriter from South Africa. Born in Vanderbijlpark, raised in Cape Town and now living in London, WiLL’s style is as versatile as the people, the places and the music that have influenced and surrounded him from an early age. From hip-hop and rap to reggae and spoken word, WiLL uses a combination of gospel rap and storytelling to relate his personal experiences, beliefs and passions in ways that connect with audiences across genres.
Follow: Instagram
KayZee
KayZee is a fresh, up and coming rapper from South East London. Though new to the industry, he is quickly making a name for himself with his lyrical content and ability to write clever lyrics and catchy hooks that stand out and stay with you. KayZee's songs are as deep and wide-ranging as he is; from catchy club bangers through to deeper, more meaningful tracks, exploring emotional or personal issues. He is currently writing new material, performing shows and studying a Creative Artistry degree at the Academy of Contemporary Music, Guildford.
Follow: Instagram
Cheekz Rhymez
Cheekz Rhymez is a poet and aspiring actor. Growing up in South London, he uses drama and poetry to express the way he feels about his community, his passions and the general ups and downs of life.
Mixing what he refers to as “new age poetry” with a wide range of modern and classical music, Cheekz wants to change the public perception of poetry being an elitist art form and show it can not only appeal to the younger, wider audience he represents, but can also come from it.
Follow: Twitter
Dámì Sule – Self Love
Dámì Sule is a Nigerian-born artist, poet, rapper and singer. Dámì’s music often fall in between the lines of alternative hip hop, soul, R&B, lofi and Chill Hop filled with conscious and thought-provoking statements. He recently graduated from Manchester University with a first class degree in Nursing and works at Manchester Hospital. Music is a passion of his and he hopes to turn this into a career and tour the world with his music. His latest release ‘This Love I Have’ received great feedback with plays on BBC 1XTRA, Reprezent Radio, Rinse and more.
Josh and Sodiq - Fake News
Josh says, "I have always wanted to have a music career and be a rapper. My favorite music genres are Grime and Rap. I like to listen to artists like Polo G as I feel he has real meanings in his lyrics, where as a lot of rappers just talk about things that are not relevant to real life. I took this approach when we wrote our song for the project. This was the first time I actually got to do these types of music activities. I got to learn how beats are made, layering the digital instruments and then arranging the song. It gave me a lot more confidence in music and how to go about getting involved in the music industry."
SODIQ says, "I have always liked to listen to music and I have an uncle who is s a part-time DJ. My favorite music genres are Grime and RnB. The first time I actually got to produce my own music was on the Musically Unorthodox project, where we made our own song. I also learned more about DJing and got the chance to perform. Since this I have starred in a Music video and have been interested in doing more. I looked into doing the music BTEC but was put off as it was more geared towards traditional music activities and instruments like playing drums."
Daniel Johnson at In Music In Media says, “The song’s concept was a joint a collaboration from the whole group, then the artists took the ideas and created lyrics from the words. The lyrics demonstrate a very mature perception on current global issues which was very impressive coming from a group of secondary school students. Both students expressed at the start of the programme they would like to be rappers and that they had never done it prior to the project.”
BandLab
BandLab is a social music platform that enables creators to make music, and share the creative process with musicians and fans. Available on bandlab.com, iOS or Google Play, BandLab has over 9 million users from over 180 countries.
BandLab combines music making and collaboration tools, like the world’s first cross-platform DAW with social features like video sharing, messaging and discovery. In 2017 it launched the BandLab Link series, a range of affordable, high quality audio hardware. In 2018 it introduced BandLab for Education, integrating music creation features with classroom management tools to empower teachers and their students.
Since 2015, BandLab’s mission has been to break down the technical, geographic and creative barriers between creators, collaborators and the music community. So get out there and get creating!
