The Next Steps Community

Meet our new Next Steps Community cohort for 2024!

  • Lily Mac

    Lily Mac is an incredibly talented singer-songwriter who has been a part of our projects, including the Young Musicians Project, for several years and now is starting to forge her own path.

  • David Mandele (Purle)

    David Mandele (Purle) is an artist making some really interesting and exciting moves in the pop space.

  • Ella Winter

    Ella Winter is a singer/songwriter at the very start of her journey as an artist and she is looking to start making connections in the local music scene.

  • Steff Mundi

    Steff Mundi is a songwriter that we have been a fan of for some time, looking for some support releasing new music and hitting new audiences.

  • Ebenezer Good

    Ebenezer Good, a name that is already accomplished as a producer in the local hip-hop scene but wants to use this programme to expand into genres like house and garage.

  • Louis Wild

    Louis Wild is a composer who is looking to expand his networks in local film, media and music industries.

About the Next Steps Community programme:

Following on from the success of last year's Next Steps Progression Fund, we are delighted to announce a brand new development opportunity for 18-25 year old artists based in the North East!

The Next Steps Community programme consists on selecting a cohort of 6 artists to receive bespoke support packages, worth £1,000, as well as being connected with the wider Next Steps peer-support network.

Successful applicants will be granted access to a bursary that can be used to pay for studio time, marketing support, training opportunities and more, plus have access to mentorship from industry professionals and more established artists.

Once again, we will conclude with a showcase opportunity where cohort members can perform together. 

PLUS… Alongside this offer for the 6 selected artists, we are also hosting a series of open access music industry and creative workshops for anyone aged 16+, all completely FREE to attend! More information on those soon.

2023 Next Steps Cohort (minus Frankie Jobling) at their end of programme show.

“After receiving such positive feedback, and seeing for ourselves the impact of the programme last year, we knew that we wanted to find a way of expanding this offer. That first cohort was such a special group and they’ll continue to be a part of The Next Steps Community, but it’s also really exciting to open that door to 8 new artists and keep growing this family. Peer support is huge within this industry and we want to champion that, nobody knows what it’s like to be an artist in the North East like another artist in the North East! Marrying that relationship with input from more established music industry figures, as well as access to a real pot of money to actually put things into practice, is what Next Steps is all about. It can be brutal out there and having a supportive community like this on your side is so important. We’re so grateful to the PRS Foundation, Youth Music and PPL for supporting our vision and continuing to fund programmes like this. ”
— Eddie Scott, We Make Culture

The Next Steps Programme is supported by PRS Foundation, PPL and Youth Music.
We Make Culture is a PRS Talent Development Network Partner supported by PPL.