Established artists and emerging new musicians will perform live at Scotland in Colour 2022 (SiC), the fourth annual celebration of the culture and creativity of Black people and People of Colour (BPoC) from around Scotland, on Saturday September 3rd at the Old Royal High School on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill.
The event will be headlined by Bemz, the Nigerian-born, Glasgow-based rapper who was crowned BBC Introducing’s Scottish Act of 2022, and who released his latest single ‘Zidane‘ last month. The event will also feature lauded jazz outfit Grace & The Flat Boys, rising artist Billy Got Waves and a host of young performers.
SiC aims to increase the visibility and confidence of artists marginalised within the creative sector and is hosted by Intercultural Youth Scotland (IYS), the country’s leading charity for BPoC young people. As well as running support services such as Scotland’s only free, fully-funded mental health service for BPoC children and young people, IYS offers a range of participatory programmes emphasising nurturing talent, creative expression and forging pathways into the performing arts. SiC is a celebration of the young artists IYS connect with through their services, with many such acts set to hone their live talents at the venue’s Pianodrome, a unique amphitheatre constructed entirely from discarded pianos.
The showcase, which is free and open to all will feature a special performance of ‘Out of the Common’, a collaboration between musicians with differing experience from IYS and Drake Music Scotland, the country’s leading organisation creating music making opportunities with children and adults with disabilities and additional support needs.
Farhad Ahmed, Associate musician from Drake Music explains: “Emerging artists Esther Goliath and Omar James from Intercultural Youth Scotland have been busy creating soulful beats, lyrics and poetry to collaborate with Drake Music Scotland’s prolific composer Chris Jacquin and Sanjeev Mann, whose influence and beats are making a new mark on Scottish hip hop.”
Following the youth showcase is a ticketed concert in the School’s Old Grand Hall featuring an eclectic crop of artists and DJs from around Scotland, such as rappers AD3, and the aforementioned Bemz. Other artists appearing on the day are Skyy Boii, who has played with heavyweights like The Game and Skepta, and 4Tune, the R’n’B vocal group who recently featured on the GRDN Sessions, the live YouTube series run by artist-producer Sean Focus.
https://facebook.com/events/s/scotland-in-colour-festival-20/885209495445334/
