Featured Artists Coalition reveal 10 artist awardees for the 2024 Step Up Fund powered by Amazon Music

08 August 2024 - Press release

Azekel, BEKA, Blair Davie, Dirty Nice, Hana Lili, Lime Garden, Olive Jones, ShaSimone, SOFY and unpeople will receive career-boosting grants of up to £8,000 

 

All are featured in the brand new Amazon Music Step Up Fund 2024 playlist

 

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and Amazon Music, Amazon’s immersive audio entertainment service, are delighted to reveal the 10 awardees from our 2024 Step Up Fund - with Azekel, BEKA, Blair Davie, Dirty Nice, Hana Lili, Lime Garden, Olive Jones, ShaSimone, SOFY and unpeople all benefiting from grants of up to £8,000 alongside a broader package of support. 

The Step Up Fund was established in 2022 in response to the accumulation of financial and structural challenges facing upcoming, independent artists.

These challenges remain a focal point for the FAC’s campaigning, including our advocacy for artist-friendly reforms of music streaming, greater support for grassroots live music and international touring, and an end to onerous venue commissions on merchandise sales.   

With the generous backing of Amazon Music, we have been immensely proud to provide direct financial assistance to a growing number of artists, alongside a range of additional benefits including mentoring, a one-year PRO membership to the FAC, a one-year subscription to Amazon Music and content creation opportunities. 

The calibre of this year’s Step Up awardees follows the high standard of previous years. Applications for the fund were up almost 50% on 2023, and the final 10 were determined by a  panel of independent industry professionals. 

Examples of their music can be heard in the brand new Amazon Music Step Up Fund 2024playlist.

All the awardees had to demonstrate a solid business case for support, and will use their funding to pay for a range of music-related activities - including recording and mastering costs, video creation, PR and marketing campaigns, showcasing and touring.

David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition: “Since we launched Step Up in 2022, I've been consistently inspired by the quality and the sheer volume of artists who apply. This year was no exception. The range and diversity has been incredibly strong. 

"The UK clearly has no shortage of talent, and there is evidently a real need for more of this kind of targeted funding, that can help independent artists realise their potential and build sustainable careers. Thanks to the generosity of Amazon Music, the FAC's Step Up Fund is playing a real part to help address that challenge. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together in such a short amount of time, and look forward to seeing how 2024's awardees progress over the next 12 months."

Laura Lukanz, Head of Music UK, Australia & New Zealand, Amazon Music: “Teaming up with the FAC to support the Step Up Fund for a third year continues to be a highlight of the year for the team and I. The outstanding calibre of applications we receive every year serves as a powerful reminder of the immense pool of talented artists we have in the UK. Making our selections is always a challenging process. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the 10 artists receiving a grant each this year.”

In alphabetical order, the 2024 FAC Step Up Fund powered by Amazon Music awardees are: 

Azekel: Entrenched in the Nigerian community of East London, Azekel’s soulful music draws on a vast range of influences. As well as being championed by Prince, he has collaborated with Massive Attack and Gorillaz and supported Erykah Badu.  

BEKA: Championed by the likes of BBC Radio 1, Clash and Line of Best Fit, BEKA was enlisted this year to script the full soundtrack for the fourth season of Apple TV+ series Trying and has already sold out London’s Omeara venue.

Blair Davie:  Nominated for the prestigious Rising Star award at this year’s Ivors. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Dermot Kennedy and Tom Odell, Blair’s recent single, Prague, has picked up a host of famous fans - including Teddy Swims and Bastille.   

Dirty Nice:  Amassing hundreds of thousands of followers for their highly inventive online animations, as well as playlist support from BBC Radio 1, Dirty Nice took to the road in May 2024 for their first UK tour, including sold out shows at Bristol’s Louisiana and London’s Courtyard Theatre. 

Hana Lili: Having supported the likes of Coldplay, Tom Grennan and Circa Waves, Hana has released two independent EPs - picking up support from BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru.  

Lime Garden: Hotly tipped by NME, Dork, DIY and The Sunday Times, Lime Garden released their debut album in February, and continue to tour relentlessly - with 2024 festival appearances at the likes of Truck, Tramlines and Green Man, a string of US shows, and a headline gig at London’s Scala this November.  

Olive Jones:  Born in Dorset, Olive has toured extensively with former Step Up awardee Jalen Ngonda and self-released 3 standalone singles.  

ShaSimone: Beginning her musical journey in 2020 with the viral freestyle A Star Babe, ShaSimone has received massive support from the UK rap scene - featuring on Dave’s second album, collaborating with the likes of Nia Archives, Beanie Man, Cristale, Kwengface and Lethal Bizzle and performing at Wireless, Reading / Leeds and Parklife.  

SOFY: Gaining wider attention with the release of her 2023 mixtape Chaos & Commotion (Chess Club Records), SOFY has steadily built an audience online and on tour - selling out London’s Omeara and Lafayette. 

unpeople:Winning accolades from Metal Hammer and Distorted Sound for their debut EP, unpeople have been nominated for UK Breakthrough Artist at this year’s Heavy Metal Awards. Following support from UK and international media, and high profile playlisting on DSPs, the band recently opened for Metallica.

Including this year’s cohort, 31 artists have benefitted from the Step Up Fund since 2022. These include Amie Blu, Chalk, Cherise, Declan Welsh & The Decadent West, Elkka, Friedberg, Jalen Ngonda, Joel Culpepper and VUKOVI.

The fund is open to UK-based artists aged 18+ who have released at least three songs within the last year - with a minimum of 15k streams per song, or one song with 45k streams on a chart-eligible UK streaming service. Awardees must not have an ongoing agreement with a major or large independent record label.

www.thefac.org/step-up