Jodie O

South West

Jodie O blends indie-folk warmth and alt-rock edge to make music you can feel in your gut. Her songwriting is an emotional deep dive - weaving ethereal melodies with soulful, introspective lyricism. At just 13, she began writing songs as a way of channelling difficult emotions through music. Over a decade later, Jodie has forged a sound that’s intimate yet powerful, and has been interviewed on BBC Radio Gloucestershire, with notable live performances across the South West, including The Sub Rooms, Wychwood Festival, The Louisiana, and Bristol Old Vic. The NextGen Fund will support Jodie to record, mix and master the songs, and film a music video, for her five-track debut EP, “Who You Think I Am”, which explores themes of healing, connection, and emotional processing in today’s digital world. 

Pronouns: she/her

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Joseph Barron

North East

Joseph is a 21-year-old multi-instrumentalist from the North East. He finds inspiration in jazz, rock and folk to create a unique blend of captivating sounds. He has played across many venues in Leeds, performing his music and supporting other artists, such as Brad Stank and Eszter Vida. He aims to record and release the five track EP he has in my catalogue. He wants his next release to stray away from one-off singles and create a more consistent sound. Joseph also wants to collaborate with other musicians and creatives in the process and pay them for their contributions.

Pronouns: he/him

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Kah'Nya

South East

Kah’Nya is a UK based Indie pop and R&B singer-songwriter whose music bridges soulful storytelling with pop and hip-hop influences. Originally from Zimbabwe, she brings a fresh perspective as an African immigrant artist. Kah’Nya is carving space for underrepresented voices while crafting emotionally powerful, contemporary songs. The project aims to be up to a seven song EP called 'The Archives', a story-led body of work that focuses on continuity, and contains deeply personal material.

Pronouns: she/her

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KUNTEAA

Greater London

KUNTEAA is an East London–born DJ with Jamaican and St Vincentian roots who, over the past three years, has developed a genre-fluid style that moves seamlessly across rap, jungle, bass, ballroom, house, techno, gqom, and dancehall. Drawing from sounds across the global diaspora, their selections weave together disparate rhythms and tempos to create sets that are both exploratory and deeply rooted, linking cultures sonically while pushing club music into unexpected territory.

Pronouns: they/them

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Lauren Mikki

Yorkshire & The Humber

Lauren Mikki fuses ethereal vocals with a literary-inspired lyrical depth, shaping an indie-soul sound beyond genre. Influenced by Laufey, Clairo and Olivia Dean, she has earned plays on BBC Radio 6, Spotify Fresh Finds UK&IE features, and BBC Introducing’s praise as 'one of the most exciting artists in the uploader’. She is creating her most ambitious EP yet; a soulful and conceptual project exploring identity, growth, and resilience through six powerful tracks. Inspired by literature, this body of work strengthens Lauren's artistic identity while inviting listeners into a community where storytelling, books, lyricism, and music come together to create meaningful escapism.

Pronouns: she/her

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Lewys Siencyn

Wales

Originally from Dolgellau, now based in Cardiff, Lewys is a musician and creative freelancer specialising in songwriting, production, performance, and digital media. He has collaborated with leading Welsh artists, released his own acclaimed bilingual work, and supported emerging talent through mentoring and facilitating youth projects and workshops. The NextGen grant invests in his new Cardiff studio, ensuring it is fully equipped for professional recording, bilingual songwriting, and content production. Funding will act as a launchpad for his songwriter-producer portfolio, strengthening Wales’ creative infrastructure while reducing barriers for artists at the early stages of their careers.

Pronouns: he/him

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Lleucu Non

Wales

Bilingual musician and animator Lleucu Non fuses music and visuals into bold, immersive experiences. Her songs and animations combine to create work that is playful, emotive, and unmistakably hers. She will record and release a six-track bilingual EP, supported by strong visuals and new collaborations. It will combine her music and visual art practice and give her the chance to develop professionally while also supporting other young creatives.

Pronouns: she/her

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Lottie Gray

East England

Lottie Gray spent her childhood nurturing her imagination, conjuring stories from her bedroom. Creating an intimate, open conversation, Gray writes exactly how she feels. Weaving moody, emotive tales with pop-infused tracks and blending elements from pop, folk and Americana, Gray creates an immersive sonic landscape grounded in authenticity and honesty. After self-funding the recording process of her EP, she plans to release her six-track debut in 2026. With creative ideas for promotion and building an audience, she is excited to get her music out into the world independently.

Pronouns: she/her

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Madeleine May

Yorkshire & the Humber

Madeleine May is an 18-year-old singer songwriter from North Yorkshire, who blends girl next door chic with raw vulnerability. Inspired by the likes of Lizzy McAlpine, Phoebe Bridgers and Joni Mitchell, her songs are packed with teenage angst and retrospective lyrics complemented with memorable melodies. She is intending to record a studio album with professional production, hoping to release this year and play live shows.

Pronouns: she/her

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Melika

North West

Manchester-born Persian artist, Melika, makes music that drifts between neo-soul, jazz fusion, and psychedelic layers. She experiences music visually, translating colours into songs that feel warm, honest, and a little otherworldly. Her work is about creating something people can step into, a space where they can hear, feel, and heal. Her debut jazz fusion EP will feature five original tracks, created in collaboration with Manchester and London producers. Through studio recording, professional mixing, and a digital marketing campaign, this project will shape Melika's artistic voice and establish my presence in the UK jazz and fusion community.

Pronouns: she/her

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Nic Promotions

North West

Now 21, Milly been putting on events in the music industry since she was 17 due to there being few accessible opportunities for young musicians, specifically in Sunderland. She has always had such deep love for everything music. Euphony is an all day festival, celebrating and showcasing local music, including giving opportunities to new/up and coming musicians. 2025 was the festival's third successful year, having doing it without formal funding thus far.

Pronouns: she/her

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nightspore

Greater London

nightspore is Mike Tellalis (Μιχάλης Τελλάλης), a self-taught artist from Cyprus. Having studied music & archaeology in Scotland, nightspore weaves elements of Anatolian and Western folk music into an indie rock package, heavily dosed with 'digital psychedelia'. 'Bedroom Folk' is a 12-track LP, recorded with collaborators at Roundhouse Studios. The project will include professional production, mixing, and a release campaign with music videos, marking Mike's transition from DIY recordings to a fully fledged debut album, culminating in live performances to present the work to new audiences.

Pronouns: he/him

PABLÓGYAL

North West

PABLÓGYAL is a 26-year-old soul, jazz, and electronic vocalist and genre-blending DJ, carving a path in music whist balancing a full-time job. Healthier, clearer, and more driven than ever, she's chasing the dream—big or small—with the goal of turning passion into freedom. 'Pending Patience' is an EP of 3-4 songs she is working on to release. "Time is precious and patience is a virtue however, there is no age where you can't restart to essentially discover your sound and where you're meant to be."

Pronouns: she/her

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RHAINE

East Midlands

RHAINE, 20, is a British-Zambian multi-instrumentalist producer, singer, and writer. Her music has received widespread acclaim and extensive radio play, earning her the title of BBC Introducing Artist of the Week on several occasions. Concocting dreamy soundscapes in each track, her musical style fuses folk, soul and psychedelia. "This eight-track album will be a love letter to my cherished mixed heritage, weaving together elements of Zambian and Western folk as well as psychedelic soul influences with the help of an array of musicians, to create a memorable and emotive collection of songs."

Pronouns: she/her

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Righteous Reck

Greater London

Righteous Reck is a South London rapper and producer known for sharp lyricism and vivid storytelling. His work blends personal experience with social commentary, delivered through electrifying live performances and community-rooted projects like Tracks on Tap, a platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of emerging UK rap talent. 'Smoke & Mirrors' is a multidisciplinary story told through theatre and music. The project follows two schoolboys stuck in detention, who secretly long for each other’s lives. It addresses vital issues such as class inequality, knife crime and teenage drug abuse. Narrated through a theatrical performance and a corresponding EP.

Pronouns: he/him

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Rightkeysonly

Wales

Rightkeysonly is a 25-year-old EDM artist that uses music to share her experiences as a Disabled, Neurodivergent, bisexual woman from rural Wales. She runs the project Amplifying Accessibility, supporting Disabled and Neurodivergent music workers to thrive in careers made accessible to them. Wired for Sound is a free, virtual networking event for Disabled, Deaf and Neurodivergent music industry workers in Wales and Scotland. This is in collaboration with Scotland-based platform The Harmony Dialogue, and an opportunity to support the two nations to connect and learn from one another’s approaches to overcoming geographical limitations.

Pronouns: she/her

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Robinson's Village

Greater London

Robinson’s Village is the ambient project of Nottingham-born, London-based artist James Burns. Blending reverb-soaked tape loops with layers of warped modular synths, his sound explores the fragile beauty of decay and imperfection. He's looking to put out his next ambient release later on this year. This will be the follow up to the debut EP for his project, Robinson's Village. It will be a string of ambient tracks put together from my previous experimentations focusing on tape loops. It will precede his debut album which will be arriving end of 2025.

Pronouns: he/him

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