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lauren wears a pink dress and sits in an armchair pensively

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

 

Instagram

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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

 

Instagram

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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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jodie plays the guitar

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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Jade Morgan Kelly

East of England

 

Jade Morgan Kelly is a dance-pop artist rooted in the house music her parents raised her on. Once masking trauma, she now transforms raw emotions into euphoric soundscapes. Her music fuses honesty with escapism, reclaiming vulnerability as power and creating high-energy anthems that offer listeners the same freedom she found. 'CTRL' reflects the last 12 months of Jade Morgan Kellys life -a year of heartbreak, betrayal, and chaos. Every struggle led to this. Across five tracks, she channels lost control of life, love, and trust into euphoric, high-energy anthems designed to release pain on the dancefloor.

 

Pronouns: she/her

 

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gracee leans forward and rests her chin in her palm

Graceé

Greater London

 

Graceé is a gospel/soul artist turning real life into melody - on a mission to make gospel a respected, thriving genre in the UK. She will create and release her second EP, 'd e c o n s t r u c t i o n', alongside a release party. Building on my debut EP 'f r e s h e r', which explores faith and identity whilst showcasing Graceé's growth.

 

Pronouns: she/her

 

Instagram

ethan wears glasses and a black t shirt

Ethan McInerney

East Midlands

 

Ethan is a Northampton-based trumpeter and media composer passionate about combining music and visual storytelling. Aiming to connect with audiences through innovative audio-visual experiences, his work explores cinematic orchestral sound worlds and collaborative creation. Supported by the NextGen Fund, he aims to release a new audio-visual album, ‘Among Strange Worlds’. A story-driven sequel to Ethan's album ‘Among the Stars’, this record will be created in a unique “ping-pong” collaboration with a local animator. Music and visuals will evolve together into an animatic, culminating in a cinema premiere that showcases Ethan's work and builds his local creative network.

 

Pronouns: he/him

 

Instagram

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Dust

South East

 

Dust is a transdisciplinary musician and artist working with audio, installation, analogue photography and more to explore the climate catastrophe; decay; regrowth; surveillance; gender, and technology. Their music blends complex layers of haunting vocals, orchestral sounds, synthesis, field recordings and textural soundscapes to move between vertigo-inducing crescendos and delicate vulnerability. They will complete and release 'AIYL': a climate-centred record and performance that blends orchestral and synthesised sounds, manipulated field recordings, soundscapes and vulnerable, exposed vocals to create a rich, vertigo-inducing elegy. The theatrically-inspired performance transports the audience to a post-collapse future, urging them to change course before it's too late.

 

Pronouns: they/them

a woman with braids in a bun smiles

Czafari.

West Midlands

 

Czafari. is an alternative R&B singer-songwriter from Tipton, West Midlands, who brings storytelling to life through her music. "Songwriting is a way for me to release", she shares. Influenced by a range of artists, including Lianne La Havas and Erykah Badu, Czafari. blends soulful melodies with a distinctive style. She will create new original music building on her 2025 EP, recording with her five-piece band and arranging a track for her R&B choir, Sing Out of Trouble. This project will expand her sound, grow her audience, and develop her skills as a performer, composer, and musical leader.

 

Pronouns: she/her

 

Instagram

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cosign

Northern Ireland

 

cosign is a Belfast based artist and producer creating indie-electronic music. She draws inspiration from a range of genres such as dance music, indie folk, and pop, allowing me to create atmospheric tracks that balance both energetic and melancholic sound. She intends on recording a four track EP with producer Chris W. Ryan, working across both his home studio and select external recording spaces. This project will push cosign's creative boundaries and support the growth of her relationship with audiences and music industry professionals.

 

Pronouns: she/her

 

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