Yolanda Brown: Last News

Gwenno and rEDOLENT have been announced as ambassadors for the 2025 edition of Independent Venue Week.The seven-day celebration of independent music and arts venues is returning, running from January 27 to February 2, with hundreds of live shows to take place across the UK.Singer-songwriter and Mercury Prize nominee Gwenno has been named as the ambassador for Wales, and will play a special solo show at Cardiff’s Acapela Studio on January 29.Edinburgh band rEDOLENT, meanwhile, who recently picked up the Scottish Album of the Year for their debut album ‘Dinny Greet’, will be the ambassadors for Scotland, will also play an exclusive show during the week’s festivities.Independent venues have until Friday (December 6) to sign up to participate in Independent Venue Week, while fans can explore what shows will be happening near them here.We're so happy to reveal Gwenno and rEDOLENT as our Artist Ambassadors for Wales and Scotland ⭐️They are joining our overall Artist Ambassador, YolanDa Brown OBE DL. Read the full story here: https://t.co/ilZHzi6UP5 Supported by Welsh Government via Creative Wales pic.twitter.com/V69r8f55sK— Independent Venue Week (@IVW_UK) December 2, 2024Gwenno and rEDOLENT join overall artist ambassador YolanDa Brown for the 2025 event.Speaking about her involvement, Gwenno has said: “I’m delighted to be this year’s IVW Welsh Ambassador, having spent so much of my musical life playing and going to gigs at independent venues across Wales and beyond for the past 25+ years.”“I’m so looking forward to performing at the beautiful Acapela in Pentyrch, a venue that I’ve heard so much about and have always wanted to play.

Gabrielle will lead the line-up for this year’s Battersea Park In Concert series.The singer will close the three day event which kicks off this Saturday (August 26) and wraps up on Monday (August 26) at the London park.Also on the bill that day are MOBO award winning saxophonist Yolanda Brown and The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars.

Naman Ramachandran British singer-songwriter Craig David (“22”) and singer and stage actor Beverley Knight (“Sister Act”) will headline the Windrush 75 celebration at London’s Royal Albert Hall on June 9. The event is being curated and hosted by DJ and radio presenter Trevor Nelson. The Windrush generation came to the U.K. from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971. The ship MV Empire Windrush had arrived in Tilbury on June 22, 1948, bringing workers from the Caribbean to help address a post-war labor shortage in the U.K. The concert will aim to capture the breadth of musical influence which the Windrush generation has had on British culture over the last 75 years, with performances including R&B group Loose Ends’ “Hangin’ on a String,” G-folk’ pioneer Hak Baker’s “Windrush Baby” and David’s “Fill Me In,” as well as renditions of classic tracks like Lord Kitchener’s “London is the Place for Me,” Bob Marley’s “Is this Love,” and Goldie’s “Inner City Life.”

Kate Middleton and Prince William head outside of Westminster Abbey following the Commonwealth Day Service on Monday (March 13) in London, England.

APPOINTMENTSArtist management firm YMU has appointed Mike Kadziulis to the position of Executive Manager & Head Of Radio. “I’m excited for this next chapter of my career and to be working with YMU.

DEALSBDi Music has signed singer songwriter Aimée to a worldwide publishing deal. “I am extremely grateful and excited to be part of BDi Music”, she says. “They have such great enthusiasm and excitement, which makes me feel really heard and appreciated.

Applications are now open for the 2022 Drake Yolanda Award, the funding scheme for emerging artists headed up by entrepreneur/philanthropist James JP Drake and saxophonist/broadcaster Yolanda Brown.Organisers of the scheme explain that “the Drake Yolanda Award welcomes applicants from all genres and are specifically looking for independent artists that need support and do not currently have backing from major record labels or publishers”.In terms of the funding available, they go on: “Ten promising artists will be awarded £3000 each, with ten additional runner up prizes of £500 each, intended to support each winners’ artistic development in areas including touring, artistic development, recording new music, music videos, marketing, branding and purchasing new equipment”.Launching this year’s award, Brown – who also recently became Chair of record label trade group BPI – says: “For many artists, access to finance is always a big stumbling block to achieving their dreams.