The 10 winners of the 2021 award were selected from over 600 entries by an industry panel including Paul McNamee, Editor of The Big Issue; Adam Sherwin, music journalist at The i newspaper; the publisher, manager and PR Paulette Long OBE, award winning musician Lemar and chaired by YolanDa Brown. A total sum of £35,000 was awarded to 10 emerging artists working across music genres ranging from hip hop to funk, folk, country, jazz and indie, receiving £3,000 each, with 10 runners up also receiving £500 each. 

 

“The 2020 award could not go ahead due to the global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. As an industry, we are starting to see that the combination of covid 19 and Brexit has created significant damage to the gig economy for emerging artists. Their income has been affected due to live music venues being closed, the complexities of touring in Europe post Brexit and many other complications. It is with this responsibility to continue supporting emerging artists, that the Drake YolanDa Award pressed on with urgency for the 2021 award, another mind blowing collective of eclectic talent, pushing the boundaries within their individual genres and already building momentum with their careers in music.”

 YolanDa Brown, co-founder of Drake YolanDa Award

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