A passion for raising aspirations

It’s quite strange but I’ve never actually applied for any job. They have all emerged from purpose or need. At school, I was told either that the jobs I aspired to in the music industry were too difficult for me to achieve or – being in a place like Gloucester – that they simply didn’t exist.

Music producer

Mostly, I created the jobs I went into. Over the years, I’ve had many different roles in the industry. I wouldn’t say I excelled at them all but, starting out, I was a good producer. And because Gloucester is a small city, it was possible to become the best quite quickly – a big fish in a small pond.

In the end though, I hit a glass ceiling in terms of resources and equipment. I wanted to learn how to work with bands and record them, so I approached a local recording studio. I didn’t know the first thing about operating big mixing desks but when the owner asked me: “Do you know what you’re doing?” I said “Yes!”

I faked it ’till I made it.

Sound engineer

The following week the very same studio owner gave me a job as a junior sound engineer, and I started taking sessions. I worked with bands and recording artists in various genres, from folk and world music, to rock, pop and jazz.

This period gave me the opportunity to really hone my craft. Working with so many amazing musicians from different backgrounds was incredible and further developed my musical knowledge as well as teaching me other skills like problem-solving, troubleshooting, project management and leadership.

Record label manager/owner

During the grime era, the DIY culture meant you could make your own music. I started by pressing up CDs and sharing them within the community. From there, I progressed to vinyl, supplying to HMV and other local shops, and setting up my own record label.

It was only once I could generate income from my passion for music, I began to realise that it could be a potential career.

Event promoter/festival organiser

I got into event promotion with friends because I wanted larger audiences to hear the music I was producing, and it gave me an opportunity to platform the artists I was working with. It started out with small local clubs and pubs and then built up to bigger nightclubs in the city. But years later, it was this experience that gave me the confidence to begin exploring outdoor community events and programming line-ups for festivals.

In 2017, I co-founded Kings Jam Festival, the South West’s largest Black music youth festival, designed to celebrate Black music culture and provide opportunities for both emerging and established artists making and performing music of Black origin.

Artist manager/tour manager

I fell into artist management. Working with artists in the studio, many were saying they needed help with the business side of things and, as I had some experience from running my own label, I stepped in. A few of them went on to be very successful, which led me into tour managing and event production for them.

These experiences really piqued my interest in terms of the business opportunities. I learned about publishing, rights management, licensing, revenue streams, the whole industry ecosystem so I could help progress my artists’ careers. 

The result was launching Onatura Ltd, an artist services company, with the aim of helping emerging artists and creators build sustainable creative careers and generate income from the music industry.

Music leader/artistic director 

I have always shared my learnings back with the young aspiring musicians. As I’m passionate about uplifting the community I grew up in and raising aspirations for others, this naturally led me to become a music leader, facilitating music sessions as a youth worker.

I set up community studios because I was keen to build a scene in the city with producers, engineers, MCs, rappers and singers. Meanwhile, I was educating emerging artists about how to register their music and generate income.

A real turning point came when those community studios evolved into what we now know as The Music Works. Many of those early values were built into the organisational culture and still shape how we work today.

Chief executive officer

The pivot from artistic director to CEO was probably one of my toughest and most challenging transitions. I am a firm believer that you can only be what you see; representation is so important.

Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by creative musicians and artists – I could see myself reflected through them. I’ve seen Black musicians, Black creators, Black artists who have been successful on a global, national or local scale.

But what I didn’t see regularly was a Black CEO. In that period of transition, I was sometimes prone to imposter syndrome and to second guess myself. But I realised I needed to lean into the skills I’ve had all my life.

When I reflect on my journey, I realise I’ve always been a leader, so this latest move was just a pivot to leading an organisation. And I’ve always been collaborative. Understanding that my collaborative approach to leadership is my strength has been key to settling into this role.