Seckou Keita and Juls named in POWER UP 2024 cohort

20 Jun 2024 - 12:42

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

Senegalese kora veteran Seckou Keita and British-Ghanaian DJ and producer Juls have been named in this year’s POWER UP cohort, which champions Black music creators and professionals and combats racism and inequality in the industry.

Seckou Keita and Juls.

The programme co-founded by PRS Foundation and Ben Wynter, and running in partnership with YouTube Music, Beggars Group and the Black Music, assists a 160-person network with grants up to £15 000, masterclasses, mentoring, coaching and mental health support.

Juls and Seckou Keita were named alongside 36 other creatives in the 2024 class, which also includes Northern Irish-Ghanaian artist Winnie Ama and British singer and rapper Jords.

For Juls, a member of the Recording Academy since 2020, this accolade follows the April release of his new single ‘Hold You Down’ featuring Odeal. For Seckou Keita, it comes a year after receiving an honorary doctorate in music from Nottingham Trent University.

“As we move into our fourth year of POWER UP, I am incredibly proud of the brilliant selection of Year 4 participants,” Wynter said. “This initiative has been recognised Europe-wide as an award-winning programme, and the quantitative evidence of our POWER UP Fellows’ successes across various sectors in the industry proves that when Black talent is given an opportunity to succeed, it thrives.

“At a time when the commitments of 2020 to create a more equitable and equal music industry appear to have been forgotten, POWER UP underscores the impact and pathways we want to see in our industry. I urge the industry to finally back POWER UP, as there is little more we can do to prove the initiative’s impact. That said, I am excited to see the continued growth and achievements of our brilliant new cohort.”

YouTube artist relations manager Sheniece Charway added: “POWER UP is transforming the music industry, empowering artists and executives alike. Four years ago, we set out to create a culture change for future generations of music talent and it’s been such a joy to watch this unfold before us year-on-year. The results are speaking for themselves, and we’re thrilled to be continuing our partnership for a fourth year.”

In 2022, POWER UP received the inaugural IMPALA Changemaker Award, while in November 2023, it was honoured with Music Week Women In Music Awards DE&I Initiative Award.