Meet Our Emerging Artists Competition Finalists
Drumroll, please! We’re buzzing to unveil our top 10 selection for this year's Emerging Artists competition in collaboration with Lambeth Sounds Music Hub. Each artist brings a unique flavour to the mix, from soulful melodies to electrifying brass performances and everything in between. As passionate fans of music, we're dedicated to investing in a new generation of sound.
Lambeth Sounds Music Hub is committed to ensuring all young people in Lambeth benefit from the enriching and transformative power of music. Together, we're on a mission to spotlight the incredible emerging talent within our community.
At our 2023 festival, we had two incredible winners perform; oreglo and Stef Montanaro. Previous winners include Cassius Cobbson and Tanhai Collective.
With one week to vote for your favourite artist, the top three artists will be selected and sent to the iconic Cross The Tracks performer Yazmin Lacey, who will choose this year's winner. The winner will get the chance to perform at Cross The Tracks 2024, alongside some of the biggest names in the industry.
Without further ado, we proudly present our selections for this year's Emerging Artists competition:
Allexa Nava
Meet Allexa Nava, a 22-year-old saxophonist, flautist, and composer originally from Peru. She won the 'Alf Williams Memorial Award' at Tomorrow's Warriors and has performed at several festivals with her own band and as part of Tomorrow's Warriors Female Frontline. Allexa also played Latin Jazz with the rising female group Colectiva at the renowned SXSW festival.
Exploring the fusion of jazz and funk, Allexa has released tunes such as ‘Wait!’ which has been featured on J to Z on BBC Radio 3. Her most recent single, ‘No Time’, is an exciting blend of jazz and Middle Eastern-inspired harmonies.
Akin Soul and The Soul Tribe
Introducing Akin Soul, a 22-year-old jazz, blues and soul singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from South East London. Raised on the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Stevie, Quincy, Lalah, Donny Hathaway, Faith Evans and Pastor TL Barrett, Akin has built up a diverse catalogue of music from a young age.
He began performing at age 12 and draws inspiration from his childhood music and experience singing in a Pentecostal church. Performing has become as natural to him as breathing. The release of his 2022 single ‘Daylight’ showcased an evolution in his sound fusing soul, jazz and rhythm & blues.
In 2018, Akin founded the 12-piece band - ‘Akin Soul & The Soul Tribe’ who have gone on to perform across the UK at Glastonbury, We Out Here Festival, Brainchild Festival, Love Supreme, All Points East, The Great Escape and more. Akin has developed a unique sound that offers a timeless listening experience.
Kaidi Akinnibi
Saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi has always had an eclectic outlook on the music he creates. His fluent and thoughtful playing is rooted in the classic jazz genres, growing up in South London and nurtured by the Kinetika Bloco and Tomorrow's Warriors families. He has also worked with a variety of artists, such as Tom Misch, Black Midi, Blue Lab Beats & Celeste.
2023 saw the release of Kaidi’s first two singles, ‘Real Enough’ and ‘Devices’, which, alongside his amazing series of performances, has revealed him as a sincere and adept vocalist, guitarist and deeply emotive lyricist and songwriter.
Taken from his time in a post-punk outfit ‘Black Midi’ and working with many of the finest groups in the UK jazz scene - the likes of Kokoroko and Mercury prize-winning Ezra Collective - Kaidi’s powerful saxophone features heavily animated and high energy at times, soft and patient at others, it truly is stunning contemporary music of the highest quality.
Raelle
Meet Raelle, a rising star in the South London neo-soul scene. Her talent has earned her a spot on the ‘Glastonbury Emerging Artists’ Longlist,’ and has garnered support from BBC Radio 1's Future Soul, BBC 1xtra DJs such as Jamz Supernova and DJ Target, BBC Radio 2's Jazz Show and BBC Introducing.
She has performed at iconic venues such as Village Underground, The Jazz Café London and Royal Albert Hall and supported the likes of Lizzie Berchie, Sipprell, and Marie Dahlstrom. Raelle was recently nominated for Best Newcomer at the State of the R&B Awards alongside artists such as Mnelia, Essosa, Flo, and Mahalia.
Her latest EP Bloodlines, a homage to the Windrush generation, amassed support across the globe, as Raelle delved deeper into Orchestral Soul. Her latest release, ‘Stolen’, was a collaboration with Collard. This duet brought a sense of familiarity and intimacy to the track as both were brought up in South London. With more collaborations in the works, including Full Crate, KALLITECHNIS, Dam Swindle and Moses Boyd and a new EP on the way, Raelle is “Searching for an understanding of self and the world through music.”
Nayana AB
Growing up in a Trinidadian family, Nayana AB was raised surrounded by music from Soca to classical to soul and beyond. Nayana champions this in her music as well as utilising her music performance studies as she explores the intricacies of creating new and exciting sounds.
In 2023 alone, Nayana won the Dr Martens Made Strong competition, performed a headline show alongside Ezra Collective and graced the stages of renowned festivals, including The Great Escape, We Out Here and GALA.
Nayana AB, alongside UD's Flames Collective, delivered backing vocals for Jake Bugg's Liverpool Olympia show and RAYE's Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury shows.
In her own music, Nayana champions a unique and personal blend of soulful jazz and R&B.
Voodoo Brass Band
With a shared passion for the modern New Orleans scene, this nine-piece collective blends distinctive elements of groove music, funk, jazz, soul, free improv, and world-beats to deliver unforgettable brass performances with original and imaginative compositions.
With an impressive social media following of over half a million on TikTok and Instagram, along with videos reaching 50 million views, the Voodoo Brass Band are quickly solidifying their place as a standout talent.
After the release of ‘Due South’, their largest record project to date, they were featured on international news networks, with appearances back home on the Breakfast Show with Greg James, Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp, and Radio London. They toured the UK and performed at Isle of Wight Festival, Kendal Calling and Leyburn Jazz whilst selling out performances all over the competitive London circuit.
With a new record underway and festival season fast approaching, Voodoo Brass Band are just getting started!
Knats
Knats, a quintet led by two lifelong best mates from Newcastle Upon Tyne, Stan Woodward (Bass) and King David Ike Elechi (Drums), make dance music which derives from their respective roots of jazz, drum and bass, house and gospel.
Within their short time on the scene, they have already been recognised and broadcasted by Soho Radio, BBC Newcastle and WDR3, playlisted twice by Spotify on their ‘All New Jazz’ and ‘Jazz Fresh Finds’ playlists, and have played a sold-out Jazz Café & Jazz Refreshed (Ninety One Living Room).
Whilst still in their second year at Trinity Laban, Knats have supported the likes of Vels Trio, Blue Lab Beats, Tom Ford and Strata. The future is bright for this quintet, and it’s only the beginning of their exciting journey.
GOOSTAVO
21-year-old rapper, songwriter, producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Angus Bruce, aka GOOTSTAVO, has a DIY approach to creating music - writing, producing and recording from his bedroom in South London.
Influenced by the likes of Loyle Carner, 2nd Exit, Kenny Beats, Tom Misch and Sampha, he blends Jazz Rap and Neo-Soul with conscious, introspective lyrics. His music delves into themes of personal growth and mental health struggles, stemming from his late ADHD diagnosis in early 2022.
Angus has been playing music all his life, picking up the sax at 8, discovering Jazz at 12 and beginning to write and produce music as a teenager. GOOSTAVO is one of the most exciting up-and-coming artists entering the London music scene, receiving support from BBC Introducing, numerous independent publications and selling out Next Door Records and The Troubadour, on top of supporting Dargz at The Cav Presents in February of 2024.
Dia Day
Dia Day is a 21-year-old cross-genre artist from South London. Fusing soul, R&B and hip-hop with lofi and jazz elements, Dia creates a sound that is simultaneously new and timeless.
Imagine YEBBA meets Erykah Badu with some Knucks grit and a dash of Loyle Carner mellow rap. As the child of Polish immigrants and foster child of a Jamaican/Mauritian family, Dia aims to create music that transcends class, race and culture and appeals to a diverse audience.
Vocally, her influences include jazz and blues legends such as Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald and contemporary artists like Lianne La Havas and Hiatus Kaiyote singer Nai Palm. As well as her love for jazz, soul and R&B, Dia is a grime fanatic and heavily influenced by the likes of Ghetts and Flirta D. As for songwriting, as well as drawing inspiration from her Polish poet and lyricist father, Krzysztof Cezary Buszman, she is inspired by more recent alternative artists such as Phoebe Bridgers and Declan McKenna.
For someone who only recently made her solo debut, Dia has several accomplishments under her belt. Dia has performed at venues including the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire and O2 Indigo before appearing on BBC’s ‘Little Mix: The Search’ in 2020. In 2022 she was featured on the “WE GOT LOVE” EP, a project curated by 2 time MOBO Award & 3 time Urban Music Award-winning rapper Guvna B. Dia finished the year strong doing backing vocals for Raye’s ‘My 21st Century Symphony’ live album recording and show at the Royal Albert Hall.
This year, Dia Day has performed backing vocals for RAYE at the BRIT Awards, on the Jonathan Ross Show and as part of UD Music’s Flames Collective at the O2 Arena.
Rosa Cecilia
Born and raised in London with Chilean-Italian heritage, Rosa Cecilia’s music combines soulful melodies and jazz chords with a Latin flair. Her genre-bending style, catchy hooks and introspective lyrics create a unique sound that is both nostalgic and fresh. Her captivating live performances continue to strike a chord with her ever-growing fanbase.
With her first single, ‘Passers-By’, dropping in 2021, the past few years have been an exciting journey for Rosa. She has sold out headline shows at Brixton’s Hootananny and Hackney’s Oslo, and clips of her immersive live shows have attracted over 8 million views on Instagram alone. Her second much-anticipated project, produced by Craigie Dodds, Jony Lipsey and JarJ, is due for release this year.
Exciting things are happening in the UK jazz scene; we're proud that we can be a space to celebrate everything jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop.
Cast your vote now on our Instagram post and join us in amplifying the voices of Lambeth's emerging talent!