Paco Rabanne & NTS Presents A Million Ways To make it
A million ways to make it
Class of 2022
The final 3 recipients of the NTS x Paco Rabanne fund & mentorship programme have been announced. Meet the Class of 2022 and the full shortlist below and check out their music.
The 2022 Recipients
Madi Saskia
23-year-old Smethwick-based singer-songwriter Madi Saskia is one of the most exciting talents to emerge from the Birmingham creative scene.
Inspired by the sounds of Jhené Aiko, Alex Isley, and Marsha Ambrosius, her self-proclaimed style is “floetryesque”, heavily indebted to R’n’B with a socially conscious undertone. Between her charming stage presence and soothing vocals, Madi’s live performances are a truly healing experience.
Inspired by the sounds of Jhené Aiko, Alex Isley, and Marsha Ambrosius, her self-proclaimed style is “floetryesque”, heavily indebted to R’n’B with a socially conscious undertone. Between her charming stage presence and soothing vocals, Madi’s live performances are a truly healing experience.
Cold
Cold, formerly known as INTENTIONALLYCOLD, is a producer, vocalist and DJ from South London. Both through their solo material and collaborations with friends Poundshop, 3o and Junior XL, Cold draws on a myriad of British influences leading back through grime and indie.
As a lyricist, their work deals with themes of introspection and memory… Be it on the way home from a night out to restlessly looking for answers in their bedroom, Cold’s sound elbows onwards through space and time.
As a lyricist, their work deals with themes of introspection and memory… Be it on the way home from a night out to restlessly looking for answers in their bedroom, Cold’s sound elbows onwards through space and time.
Jianbo
Jianbo is a Chinese-Vietnamese-British rapper who pairs a mid-noughties inspired grime flow with tales of a classic east Asian upbringing… a yin-yang balance of odds, the ends and everything in between.
Capturing the attention of the likes of Kamaal Williams and Eddie Huang, with his unique tongue-in-cheek brand of UK rap, his debut EP “Yellow Peril” has been met with critical acclaim, landed on the 6Music playlist and is a culmination and celebration of the Asian Creative Diaspora which he aims to elevate through the next stages of his career.
Capturing the attention of the likes of Kamaal Williams and Eddie Huang, with his unique tongue-in-cheek brand of UK rap, his debut EP “Yellow Peril” has been met with critical acclaim, landed on the 6Music playlist and is a culmination and celebration of the Asian Creative Diaspora which he aims to elevate through the next stages of his career.
The Shortlist
Kaia Laurielle
Kaia Laurielle is a singer-songwriter from South-East London. As a champion for black love, her lyrics tell the stories of those forgotten or overshadowed, and she showcases the importance of redefining love with themes such as nostalgia, intimacy and self-love.
She’s already performed at venues such as KOKO, EartH Hackney, Southbank’s Purcell Room and the Jazz Cafè. She has previously been funded by the PRS Foundation with the Women Make Music Grant as well as the Mobo Trust Fund.
She’s already performed at venues such as KOKO, EartH Hackney, Southbank’s Purcell Room and the Jazz Cafè. She has previously been funded by the PRS Foundation with the Women Make Music Grant as well as the Mobo Trust Fund.
Shumba Maasai
Shumba Maasai (born Harare, Zimbabwe) is a solo performing artist, producer and founder of Ancestral Futures and Plus Trbe Recordings. His unique take on grime merges the English and Shona languages to explore the experience of life in the Dunya (the Western world/material world) and expand the Pan-African vision of Marcus Garvey .
By mixing and blending English and his own Zimbabwean language, Shumba aims to unite the diaspora through his lyricism, and tell his story as an African immigrant.
By mixing and blending English and his own Zimbabwean language, Shumba aims to unite the diaspora through his lyricism, and tell his story as an African immigrant.
Crae Wolf
MOBO-certified artist and "Queen Of Flow" Crae Wolf, music exists where fantasy meets drill: uniquely crossing over different languages thanks to a multilingual upbringing.
Drawing from a diverse range of influences across rap, rock and R’n’B, the East London rapper has gained a reputation for her energetic, somewhat theatrical performances that immerse you into her sonic universe of “Drill with a Thrill”.
Drawing from a diverse range of influences across rap, rock and R’n’B, the East London rapper has gained a reputation for her energetic, somewhat theatrical performances that immerse you into her sonic universe of “Drill with a Thrill”.
Meron T
Meron T is a vocalist and singer-songwriter from South London. Her music takes roots in R&B, influenced by the varied cultures exposed through her London upbringing and East African heritage. Meron lures listeners with warm vocal layers and intricate melodies, gently riding many tempos and production styles.
Having started off 2022 with the release of her A/B side singles ‘Everything’ and ‘Don’t Let’, and more recently collaborations with East London producer Nikhil Beats on ‘Face Your Demons’, and with British-Ghanian producer Hagan on ‘My Love’, hype has grown around Meron T following her first headline show in July and string of live performances across the summer.
Having started off 2022 with the release of her A/B side singles ‘Everything’ and ‘Don’t Let’, and more recently collaborations with East London producer Nikhil Beats on ‘Face Your Demons’, and with British-Ghanian producer Hagan on ‘My Love’, hype has grown around Meron T following her first headline show in July and string of live performances across the summer.
Cosha
Cassia O’Reilly, also known by her stage name Cosha, has performed since she was a very young girl, growing up in Ireland. Writing songs from the age of nine until she left London’s BIMM Institute aged seventeen.
Cosha made connections in London that led to her singing backing vocals for Nao and lead vocals for Mura Masa, touring the world and singing to thousands of people for several years, as she honed her performance writing skills under the name Bonzai. Deciding she wanted a fresh start with a project that felt more like her own, she evolved into Cosha and released her debut album last year.
Cosha made connections in London that led to her singing backing vocals for Nao and lead vocals for Mura Masa, touring the world and singing to thousands of people for several years, as she honed her performance writing skills under the name Bonzai. Deciding she wanted a fresh start with a project that felt more like her own, she evolved into Cosha and released her debut album last year.
Manik MC
After growing up a young carer in the face of austerity, Manik MC is quietly making his mark within the UK rap scene: his music’s principal inspiration has derived from his inner-city surroundings and contemporary social issues, from food banks to disability welfare cuts. Through intricate rhymes and frank reflections, Manik reclaims and amplifies a collective voice otherwise unheard.
