NextGen Spotlight: Lil Trubz

Youth Music NextGen Fund artist Lil Trubz discusses his successful EP ‘Tracks On Tap’, creative collaboration, and plans for future music.

Based out of London, Lil Trubz used his Youth Music NextGen Fund grant to create a collaborative EP with artists and producers from the Tracks On Tap community.

Nelson Navarro

Elijah Pailthorpe-Peart, better known as Nelson Navarro, is a rapper and producer based in Brighton. His futuristic music style is rooted in hip-hop & cutting edge electronica. Focusing on messages of positivity, empowerment & optimism he has been telling stories with music since 8 years old.

Sarah Angel

Bolton born singer-songwriter and model Sarah Angel has been flaunting her experimental soul sound over the past two years, in her hometown and beyond.

Delving from RnB, Soul to Alternative house-funk, Miss Angel's inspirations range from the likes of Prince, Jill Scott, David Bowie, Busta Rhymes, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Ru Paul, Erykah Badu and so many more, in her own words - ‘I want to create alternate universes with both my fashion and music in which people can delve into and loose themselves

Lil Trubz

Self made South London hip-hop rapper Lil Trubz (real name Liam Henry) started his journey in music as a participant in School Ground Sounds’. Trubz continues his passion with music by releasing new music and EPs, as well as continuing to work with the South London music charity, to support new participants on the project, and mentor younger artists.

"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.