The Featured Artists Coalition has today announced fourteen new Artist Ambassadors.
The said line-up will help to grow the organisation’s community and amplify its message of fair representation for artists.
British rapper, songwriter and actor Kano, widely considered one of the pioneers of grime music and culture, has also become an ambassador. He will be joined by award-winning tuba player and composer Theon Cross, who transcends traditional genre conventions with strains of jazz, dub, hip-hop, soca, grime, and other sounds from the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.
Barbadian saxophonist and clarinettist Shabaka Hutchings, who pushes the boundaries of what musical elements are considered to be Caribbean, has also been enlisted, alongside pop artist Rae Morris, LA’s own Julia Holter, Portishead lead singer Beth Gibbons, West London’s Hollie Crook, South London singer and songwriter Carmody, singer songwriter Frank Hamilton and Brix Smith, previously a member of The Fall.
North Yorkshire-born singer and composer Ruth Patterson and North London singer and songwriter Benny Bizzie are to become dual ambassadors with Attitude Is Everything, representing their Next Stage initiative.
Adam Devonshire (DEV), bassist of IDLES, says: ‘Without music, and the artists that pour their very beings into their craft, my life would be a very empty place. The rights of artists are fundamental in ensuring great art continues to be created. Long may it continue.’
David Martin, chief executive, FAC, said: ‘At a time of enormous challenge for our industry, with a global pandemic threatening the very nature of our music scenes and the impact of Brexit laid bare, it’s with great pride that I welcome these incredible artists to the FAC. Their preparedness to stand with the FAC and add their voice to our cause at this time is testament to their integrity and their selflessness. As we continue to grow the FAC family in 2021, it’s an honour that so many creative, innovative icons see the FAC as a force for affecting positive change for artists and creators from across the whole musical spectrum.
