Eve Simpson, Farris Theo, Iona Fyfe, Jorj Sabio, Kyle Osborne and Michaela Beasley have begun In The Room, a leadership development programme for 18 – 24 year-old music creators.
From The Ivors Academy, funded by Youth Music and supported by Help Musicians, In The Room, will support these creators to develop their leadership skills, raise their profile within the music industry and work on paid research projects.
Under the mentorship of under-25 Academy Board Directors Hope Winter and Imogen Williams, this 8-month scheme aims to increase the profile of issues that matter to emerging creators and provide the skills and experience to engage on influential music industry boards and councils.
About the group
Eve Simpson
From: South-Shields
Inspired by: Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell
Achievements: featuring at the English Folk Expo, composing the North East score for a FOCAL International Award-winning film, Youth Music NextGen Fund recipient and co-founder of Intarsia Records
Interests in the music industry: pushing for greater accessibility, broader mental health education and financial sustainability for songwriters
Farris Theo
From: Suffolk
Age: 20
Passions: writing songs, organising events and supporting the Ipswich music scene
Studies: currently finishing last year of a degree in Music Management
Iona Fyfe
From: Aberdeenshire
Music: performs both folk and pop songs in the Scots language, remaining true to her roots in tradition
Achievements: led a successful campaign to pressure Spotify into recognising Scots and add it to its list of languages, the first singer to win Musician of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, Speaker of the Year at the Scots Language Awards 2021 and Scots Singer of the Year at the 2018 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards
Described as: “one of the best Scotland has to offer.” by Global-Music.de
Jorj Sabio
Based: South-East London
Inspired by: Lianne La Havas, Amy Winehouse, Jeff Buckley, Erykah Badu and Lady Gaga
Music: centres around the theme of heritage and its effect on the present
Passionate about: music as a cultural and political force and raising the voices of both Queer music creators and music creators from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
Kyle Osborne
From: London
Studies: future Jazz piano student at Trinity Laban
Music: Senegalese djembe music infused with influences from hip hop to choral harmony
Passions: giving access to these different cultures, genres and learning opportunities, so new musicians can find the music they want to make instead of being boxed in by Western cannon
Michaela Beasley
From: Norfolk
Career: aspiring composer for film and games
Achievements: playing in the Barbican and Royal Festival Hall as a Hornist in an orchestra, and travelling to different countries to perform and pass on their skills to aspiring young musicians
Musical beginnings: started playing the French Horn at 10
