Sharifa

Sharifa is an artist, producer and DJ from Derby. He has had press support from Brick Magazine and Paper Magazine; radio interviews and airplay from BBC Radio Derby, BBC Radio London and BBC 1Xtra; and has performed at shows including Mello Festival and BBC Proms.

Exojay

East Midlands

Exojay is an R&B and rap artist based in Nottingham. The NextGen Fund will support him to create a self-produced EP, accompanied by cinematic content.

Pronouns: he/him

Erin O'Callaghan

East Midlands

Erin O'Callaghan is an independent singer-songwriter originally from Northamptonshire, now living in Edinburgh. She has played gigs at Sofar Sounds, Dragonfly Live Lounge, The Lemon Tree and Sneaky Pete's, and has received support from Angela Griffin on BBC Radio 2. The NextGen Fund will support her upcoming 4-track EP.

Pronouns: she/her

Elizabeth J. Birch

West Midlands

Elizabeth J Birch is a musician from Solihull. She has received radio plays from Brum Radio, BBC Introducing, Unmade Radio and Black Country Radio, won the 'Inspirational Music Leader' Award at the Youth Music Awards 2023, and was featured as a Mastercard Trailblazer ahead of the 2024 BRIT Awards, in recognition of her work to drive positive change in the music industry across technology, diversity and inclusion. With the NextGen Fund, she will create and launch her own music label, and experiment with unique and accessible ways of writing, recording, releasing, and promoting music.

Pronouns: she/her

Eleanor Kate

Eleanor Kate is an indie pop/folk singer-songwriter based in Nottingham. She has performed her music at venues across Nottingham, including Rough Trade and The Bodega, and has received support from BBC Introducing.

Dulzo the Great

Dulzo is a Zimbabwe-born rapper with Malawi heritage, now based in Leicester. The NextGen Fund has supported him to create six R&B songs as an introduction to his new sound as a solo artist. He is also establishing himself as a community leader, motivating and inspiring others in his network and local area.

Angel of Origin

Angel of Origin is a DJ, producer and audiovisual artist based in Nottingham. He performed a DJ set supporting Bicep during Youth Music's Give A Gig Week, hosts his own radio show on Swing Dash, and designs posters, graphics, animations and visuals for various music projects.

Tom Hodson

Tom Hodson is an artist, drummer, hip-hop producer and DJ from Belper, Derbyshire. With the support of the NextGen Fund, he will be releasing a 4-track concept EP called 'Every Day I Wake Up', which seeks to uplift and comfort others, rewriting the script from one of darkness to one of love, consciousness and positivity.

Eli Ellis

Eli Ellis is a musician, producer and mixing engineer currently based in Nottingham. He is currently working on a series of R&B/soul singles with the support of the NextGen Fund, which he will be writing, producing, mixing and mastering himself.

Ambrose Hill

Ambrose Hill is a British-born, Nigerian artist and producer. They experiment with genre-specific sounds and niches to create unique Afrobeat soundscapes, which leap across geographical and sonic borders. With the support of the NextGen Fund, they are currently working on their latest EP, 'Silent Paparazzi'.