|
Academy stars celebrate
Independents Day
THE best of Liverpool's up and
coming musicians showcased their talents at a special event as part of
Independent Venue Week.
The 'LIMF Academy Showcase' took place at City Centre venue
Magnet, on 28 January 2016 and saw the 'Most Ready' artists from 2015's
Liverpool International Music Festival Academy celebrate their success.
The Showcase not only coincided with independent venue week, but also
reaffirmed Liverpool's newly awarded status of UNESCO City of Music which
the City received because music is at the heart of its contemporary culture
and it invests in young people so that world class talent can continue to be
honed here.
It also came just 2 months after LIMF scooped a national award at the UK
Festival Awards for:- 'Best Festival for Emerging Talent'
based on the amazing work by the Academy.
Audience had a chance to see the 3 2015 winners who are:-
Amique; working on his craft since the age of 7, Amique is a singer,
producer, composer, arranger, multi instrumentalist and band leader and has
gained a reputation as a serious talent within the industry. Jalen
Ngonda; USA born Jalen has classed Liverpool as home since 2014. He was
inspired by his father's collection of jazz, hip hop, soul and classical
records and is widely regarded as one to watch. Amique said:-
"I am really excited to play the upcoming LIMF Academy showcase at Magnet. I
get to play with the most fabulous musicians and I'm super grateful for the
opportunity."
Michael Seary; The 24 year old Liverpudlian producer creates mostly drum and
bass tracks, releasing EP 1343 Days to critical acclaim and support. His
LIMF Academy win has resulted in him working with one of his producer
inspirations Feint as well as Grammy Award winner Steve Levine. New songs
and collaborations are on the cards for 2016 as he takes more steps towards
bigger success. Michael Seary said:- "The academy has been a
good springboard in my career as it has opened up new opportunities to me
that I would not have achieved without the support from the Academy team.
The money that was awarded to me has helped me to better my image and artist
profile by allowing me to have professional level promo shots taken, get
music videos shot and high end mastering. But aside from the money the one
to one support behind the scenes has been exceptional as the whole academy
team do genuinely only want the best for you. With the help of the support I
have managed to gain multiple national radio plays on tracks of mine which I
feel the academy is directly responsible for."
Eleanor Nelly who took the Academy's 'One to Watch'
title last year, in 2015; the 16 year old singer / songwriter is cutting
her musical teeth by playing at festivals and venues up and down the country
and has recently released her 1st EP Insane and Loved.
Katy Alex who is a 2014 LIMF Academy graduate and described as a northern
Lilly Allen. With a passion for fashion and music she performs regularly in
the City and is hoping to be signed to a major label in the next two years.
L U M E N is 17 year old Liam who has been championed by BBC Introducing and
spends most of his time making music and experimenting with sounds. He is
hoping to start to get noticed and get an 'in' into the music industry.
Yaw Owusu, LIMF Curator, said:- "With all the recent awards, including
UNESCO City of Music, 2016 is a very exciting time for the City and our
music creators. The spotlight is once again thrust on our music makers. It's
amazing that at the same time our pool of raw music talent is probably as
strong and as deep as it ever has been. The LIMF Academy hopes to continue
to be a central part of the grassroots music culture and a leading beacon
for music talent discovery and development in the region, making sure our
stars of the future get the support they need. Our crop of talent this year
are all doing amazing things. Our 'Most Ready' are now breaking through on
national platforms and the story is just starting. It's vitally important we
all get behind these artists and help them as they build their careers."
The LIMF Academy Showcase is hosted in association with Bido Lito! Sam
Turner, from Bido Lito, said:- "2 things we try and champion through
Bido Lito! is emerging talent and independent culture, so having the LIMF
Showcase gig as part of Independent Venue Week is a perfect fit for us. It's
been fantastic seeing the Academy artists progress through the programme so
we're really looking forward to seeing them all together in a live setting.
It'll be a boss night."
|
