Youth Music

Dee Rae

Dee Rae is an artist based in the North West of England. She has toured across the UK and Europe, playing in London, Manchester, Southampton, Leeds and Paris. She has also played at Live at Leeds Festival, and worked with the likes of Dance to the Radio and Come Play with Me.

Cian Jay

Cian Jay is an artist and the founder of London-based event series CLUB GUNK. His past events have sold out venues including the Old Blue Last, Peckham Audio, and Bermondsey Social Club. With the NextGen Fund, he will be launching a three-track EP titled 'Gunk', which will fuse nostalgic 2000s/2010s electronic indie pop with new and forward-thinking production ideas.

Boudicca

Boudicca is a rapper, poet and singer who blends spoken word and rap to produce socially conscious hip-hop. She has performed across the UK, in Germany and in The Netherlands, where she won a political rap battle at Democracy Alive, hosted by the European Union. She has also written bespoke pieces for TED x Brighton, Storytelling Army and Poets VS MCs.

Anmol

Anmol is a Nepali drummer, who is creating an EP of traditional Nepali folk music with the support of the NextGen Fund. He has been awarded the Anjool Maldé award for his distinctive work as a drummer, has been invited onto Guildhall School of Music and Drama's Junior Fellowship Programme, and has worked with composer and multi-instrumentalist Nitin Sawhney.

Alex Rushfirth

Alex Rushfirth is a musician, graphic designer and podcast host. To date, he has written over 956 songs, recorded and released 6 full length solo albums and 18 minor works including EPs, short films and radio plays. He has also written and produced for other musicians, and put on gigs, theatre and art shows. His life goal is to release 100 projects and write 10,000 songs.

Connor Morgans

Connor Morgans is the founder of Adlais (meaning 'echo' in Welsh), which is a bilingual promoter of contemporary Welsh music. He is also a presenter on Radio Cardiff, a freelance producer for BBC Radio 1, and has hosted Anthem Cymru's 'Family Gathering'.

Jack Coleman

Jack Coleman is a promoter based in Kent. Under their brand name 'The Big Cheese Co.', they have booked and promoted 18 events over the last year, platforming over 50 grassroots artists in the local area. They have also co-produced WhereElse?'s grassroots music night KPX, worked for the charity project Tonetic Records, and freelanced for the digital creative company Electric Medway.

TEEDEMBA

TEEDEMBA is a rapper, singer, youth worker and model based in Coventry. He has featured on the cover of iD Magazine, as well as in campaigns for Nike, Louis Vuitton and HOMME+. He has also headlined the Resonate Stage at Godiva Festival, raised awareness of homelessness in Paris and Amsterdam with his music video for 'Tap & Go', and performed at the Commonwealth Games.

Tee Peters

Tee Peters is a musician and multidisciplinary creative from South East London. He is the founder of the UK-based Jazz Rap collective, 'The Working Class Band', and the creator of record label 'Working Szn', distributed by Sony Music / BSMV. He has performed at Love Supreme Festival, Titan Festival, the Royal Albert Hall, and Tapefabrik Festival; and his music reaches an audience of 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

Safii Koii

Safii Koii is a musician and producer. She has been featured on BBC Yorkshire and BBC Radio 6, taken part in a jam with Nile Rodgers, and gained over 3.3 million views on some of her song covers on social media. The NextGen Fund will be supporting her to release her new, self-produced EP, 'INERTIA'.

Redz Man

Redz Man is a musician, artist and producer. This year, he has performed at Rich Mix, toured the UK with Animeleague, and been a recipient of Wired4Music's Generate Fund.

Raivo Sloan

Raivo Sloan is a musician and multidisciplinary artist. They have been commissioned to compose a piece for the Counterflows Festival, have been selected for the Sonic Youths programme in Glasgow, and released their debut EP this year to critical acclaim.

NO-EL

NO-EL is a DJ and music leader, who runs workshops to teach young people how to produce and DJ. He works across genres, having produced a range of music from rap to house and dubstep, and the NextGen Fund will allow him to release his debut EP.

NE-O

NE-O is a rapper and producer based in Newcastle. He has represented the North East as part of BBC1Xtra Introducing's rap cypher, has headlined the Glasshouse, and performed on the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading and Leeds Festival.

MINA ESYA

MINA ESYA is an alt-pop singer-songwriter living in Devon. Her EP 'Nomad' combines various creative pursuits, including poetry, painting, mind-mapping and songwriting. Her music seeks to express her pride in North African music and culture, and she has been interviewed by BBC Xtra Arabia about the relationship between British Arabs and music.

Megs

Megs is a singer, producer and visual artist based between Nottingham and Bristol. She has filmed sessions for BBC Introducing, performed at Rock City, and has been featured on Jazz FM, BBC Radio 6 and BBC 1Xtra. Last year, she was also named a finalist for Future Sound of Nottingham.

Matilda Pratt

Matilda Pratt is an indie-pop singer-songwriter from the West Midlands. She has played at a variety of festivals to date, including CarFest, Pub in the Park, and Tramlines Fringe, as well as headlining shows at local venues. The NextGen Fund has allowed her to take her latest EP, 'Sunday Girl', on tour across the UK.

Marshall Fairbrother

Marshall Fairbrother is an artist and sound engineer. He was invited to London by the RNIB to speak at their 'Inclusive Design In Harmony' panel, and took part in the Ableton Beta Program. He also mixed the sound for Captivate Takeover at their Arts Education Conference in 2024.

Marnie Glum

Marnie Glum is an alternative-folk songwriter and guitarist. She has recently supported Sunflower Thieves on tour, and co-headlined a show at Brudenell Social Club.

Mali Hâf

Mali Hâf is a singer from Wales. This year, she opened for Huw Stephens' BBC 6 Celebration, celebrating the best of Cardiff's music scene. She has also received support from Clash Magazine.

LXXV

LXXV is a musician and music producer based in Leeds. She has delivered workshops with Youth Justice and CAMHS on production, recording, songwriting and DJing; and was selected by Yorkshire Youth and Music to participate in their trainee Music Leader Scheme.

Lois

Following the release of her debut EP, Lois has already sold out a headline show at Leeds' Hyde Park Book Club, and performed at major festivals including Live at Leeds, Highest Point, Liverpool SoundCity and Kendall Calling. Her music has also received media and radio support from BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, Clash, Wonderland, Notion and Louder Than War.

Lila Zing

Lila Zing is a singer-songwriter and producer from Wales. All of her songs are tuned to a 432Hz frequency. She recently supported Carwyn Ellis on tour, recorded two songs for BBC Radio Cymru, and was selected for the Forte Project's Artist Development programme in 2024.

Lehi

Lehi is an emerging artist who is looking forward to releasing his debut EP in 2025, with the support of the NextGen Fund. His debut singles have already received support from BBC Introducing and Radio X.

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Next Gen

NextGen Community Events

Our NextGen Community events give attendees aged 18-30 the chance to connect with other creatives in their local city, listen to panel discussions from industry experts and watch performances from emerging artists.

funding

NextGen Fund

Grants of up to £3,000 for 18 to 25 year olds creatives (aged up to 30 for those who identify as d/Deaf, Disabled or neurodivergent) in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Next funding round opens 29/08/2025.