"A place where I could meet other LGBT people" - Reece's story

Reece experienced bullying at school, depression and social anxiety, which stopped him singing. The Outburst project for LGBT young people in Nottingham helped him to express his personality, make new friends, and begin to consider a career in music.

At 17, Reece hadn’t performed in front of people for three years. But a few weeks after he’d started coming to Outburst, he decided to take a chance. 

Giving deaf children the chance to make music - Isma and Aisha's story

Deaf children like Isma and Aisha don’t always get the chance to make music. A project run by Yorkshire Youth & Music has given them the opportunity to learn to play instruments and boosted their confidence.

Best friends Isma and Aisha, both 11 and from Bradford, are profoundly deaf and have to wear implants to help with their hearing. They started learning to play their brass instruments in early 2015 through the charity’s Deaf Instrumental Learning project.

Niques

Cardiff-hailing artist Niques makes garage and R&B soul, giving you that old school feeling. The rising artist has already had Representz, BBC, and KISS radio plays and was featured in a talk with BBC Bitesize. Niques has also opened for Manga and D Double E as well as supported Sam Binga’s Pineapple records tour.

Using the NextGen Fund, Niques will release five songs over the period of a year, one with a music video.

"Rap is me" - Taz's story

Taz is a 17-year-old rapper from Cambridge. Over the last three years she’s taken part in a number of music-making projects run by local youth charity Romsey Mill.

The team at Romsey Mill have supported Taz to write, record and produce music in their in-house studio – helping her develop as an artist alongside her college studies in psychology, sociology and criminology.

NextGen Spotlight: Sharifa

Youth Music NextGen Fund artist Sharifa makes music that is in his words, "dark, thought-provoking and atmospheric". Raised in the East Midlands but now based in London, the young artist is already achieving great things - and he's just 19 years old.

Xyzelle

Xyzelle (‘sigh-zul’) is an 18-year-old singer/songwriter from Bristol. Musically, fusing the styles of soul with trap along side with hiphop creating a fresh wave for the new generation of the scene.

Dámì Sule

Dámì Sule is a Nigerian-born singer and rapper living in Manchester. He started his music journey as a poet and spoken word artist in 2016 with performances in venues across Manchester. In 2017, he transitioned to music, creating his debut EP ‘Crayons’ which grabbed the attention listeners in London and Manchester with stations such Reprezent Radio, Radar and Unity Radio supporting the project.

NextGen Spotlight: Adlais

Adlais, meaning 'echo' in Welsh, amplifies the best of Welsh music. Founder Connor Morgans shares how NextGen Fund support brought Adlais to North Wales, championing artists and communities.

Finding a voice through music - Ashley's story

Exchanging Notes: SoCo Music Project and Rosewood Free School

Sponsors Spotlight: Gareth Mellor, Downtown

Meet Gareth Mellor from Downtown in our Sponsor Spotlight! Gareth shares career insights, tips for young creatives, and why setting boundaries and building a strong network are keys to success.

NextGen Spotlight: English Teacher

Meet English Teacher, the Rising Star Award winners at the Youth Music Awards 2022, and rising indie sensations making waves with Island Records.

Coupdekat

Meet Coupdekat, a NextGen Fund Round Two artist blending modern beats and emotive vocals to tackle mental health, love, and more.

Sponsors Spotlight: Q&A with LCCM Principal Anthony Hamer-Hodges

LCCM Principal Anthony Hamer-Hodges discusses supporting young creatives, navigating industry challenges, and fostering future music leaders in our Sponsor Spotlight series.

NextGen Spotlight: EVA

Meet EVA: a rising star blending songwriting, production, and self-directed visuals to create her unique sound.

Pritt

R&B artist Pritt emerges from a Tamil background which has influenced her style immensely, allowing herself to be as expressive as possible to take a pivotal stance in her art and proud of her culture. The South London raised songstress uses her femininity to empower stereotypes of women in urban music and takes an ‘Eastern meets Western’ stand on her music; an unorthodox approach on honest relatable lyrics couples with Carnatic melisma.

NextGen Spotlight: Bailey P

Bailey P, a rising producer from West Yorkshire, is making waves with his new music video for Slaps Like, supported by the Youth Music NextGen Fund. Self-taught and passionate about music since the age of 14, Bailey has already hit the iTunes Dance chart and created a mix for Kiss FM. His latest track, a UK Garage/House collaboration with rapper Dialect and vocalist Amelia, is the ultimate club anthem. We caught up with Bailey to discuss his creative journey, the making of Slaps Like, and representing the West Yorkshire music scene.

NextGen Spotlight: Wolf Peaches

Wolf Peaches, a queer pop/folk artist from Sheffield, is making waves with their politically-charged, introspective music. With support from the Youth Music NextGen Fund, they created their debut EP dwelling, a powerful and reflective record. The grant also helped them hire a PA, providing essential support for their ADHD and mental health. We caught up with Wolf Peaches to discuss the making of dwelling, the importance of collaboration, and their advice for emerging artists.

NextGen Spotlight: Richard Carter

Richard Carter, a Youth Music NextGen Fund artist, has taken the music world by storm with his viral track "Le Monde." After opening the Youth Music Awards 2023 in association with Hal Leonard Europe, his remix of the track exploded on TikTok and has garnered over 41.7 million streams on Spotify. A multi-talented artist, producer, rapper, and songwriter, Richard shares his journey, creative inspirations, and advice for aspiring artists as he looks ahead to even bigger things in the next five years.

NextGen Spotlight: Ijeoma Wagbaranta, MOOD Mondays

Ijeoma Wagbaranta is the founder of MOOD Mondays, a music discovery series that champions emerging artists. With the Youth Music NextGen Fund, Ijeoma was able to take MOOD Mondays offline and host in-person events.