Tag: ezra collective

A New Spotify Documentary Spotlights UK Youth Centers

August 1, 2024

Youth spaces are crucial for the well-being of children and young people, as they instill a deep sense of belonging and ignite creativity. But in the U.K., these spaces have been in rapid decline due to decades of funding cuts, leaving young people with fewer places to be creative and engage with their communities in positive ways.

To underscore the importance of youth spaces in the U.K., Spotify has teamed up with the London-based youth mentoring organization Mentivity to release our new short film The Centre. Filmed and directed by Adeyemi Michael, The Centre showcases the transformative impact youth spaces can have on burgeoning local artists and U.K. music culture at large, which has birthed influential genres like grime and U.K. drill.

Featuring hip-hop duo Young T & Bugsey, rapper Ms Banks, drummer Femi Koleoso from the Mercury Prize-winning jazz quintet Ezra Collective, and MC and producer Novelist, The Centre chronicles the ways each artist’s youth club experiences helped inspire their creative journeys and the music they produce to this day.

Keeping youth spaces alive

While 750 youth spaces across the U.K. have closed since 2010, they still play a vital role in fostering the creative development of young people across the country. In fact, these spaces have helped shape the careers of some of today’s leading artists and musicians. Take Young T & Bugsey, who met at age 15 and spent the following years honing their craft at youth spaces in their hometown of Nottingham. To date, they’ve racked up more than 850 million streams on Spotify.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Spotify, 70% of young people in the U.K. feel that youth clubs help nurture creative talent, and 74% want to learn more about creative industries. More than three quarters (77%) believe youth spaces create a safe environment for young people.

In addition to highlighting the ways youth spaces have meaningfully impacted U.K artists, The Centre celebrates the opening of Mentivity House, a newly developed youth space in the southeast London neighborhood of Peckham.

“Mentivity House is an example of how we reclaim our block,” said Mentivity founder Sayce Holmes-Lewis. “Over a decade in the making, this is a full-circle moment for me. Growing up and working here for 25 years, I’ve seen regeneration change the area. We’re committed to strengthening our roots and creating a lasting legacy for our community, helping young people become the best versions of themselves.”

Our partnership with Mentivity follows our global partnership with UNICEF to help ensure that young people around the world can access trusted and engaging mental health audio content. We teamed up with UNICEF to create the Our Minds Matter hub on Spotify, where listeners can find music and talk playlists that support mental health and well-being.

Get Merry With New Spotify Holiday Singles From Laufey, Kirk Franklin, Ezra Collective, and Panter Bélico

November 14, 2023

As the year draws to a close, you might be excitedly getting ready for the holidays. And whether you’re spending time with family or celebrating with friends, you know your gatherings aren’t complete without a great soundtrack.

To help start your merrymaking right, we’re back with another edition of Spotify Holiday Singles. This year, we invited jazz starlet Laufey, gospel legend Kirk Franklin, eclectic fusion quintet Ezra Collective, and rising Música Mexicana star Panter Bélico to record a cover of a classic holiday hit or an original song that channels the spirit of the season.

The end result is four new singles, each with its own distinct sound, making any time the perfect time to enjoy some festive vibes. Here’s what each of our featured artists had to say about their Spotify Holiday Singles.

“Winter Wonderland”

Laufey

Raised between Iceland and the U.S., Laufey is a classically trained cellist and pianist who has quickly become a household name since stepping onto the scene in 2020 with her hit “Street by Street.” As a kid, she became hooked on jazz standards after digging through her dad’s record collection, and now she is the most-streamed jazz artist on Spotify thanks to hit singles like “Let You Break My Heart Again” and record-breaking albums like Bewitched. 

For her Spotify Holiday Single, Laufey reaffirmed her love of jazz standards with her cover of the timeless “Winter Wonderland.”

Why did you choose “Winter Wonderland?”

I chose to cover “Winter Wonderland” because it captures the essence and warmth of  Christmastime at my family’s home in Iceland.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

It has to be giving and receiving books on Christmas Eve. Nothing beats sitting down with my family on Christmas Day and diving into the books by the tree.

“Joy To The World”

Kirk Franklin

Since bursting onto the scene 30 years ago, Kirk Franklin has successfully bridged the worlds of gospel, pop, hip-hop, and R&B, steadily delivering a parade of hits to fans around the world. The 19-time Grammy winner first made his mark with his 1993 debut album, Kirk Franklin & The Family, and he hasn’t looked back since. Just last month, the legend released Father’s Day, his 14th studio album.

And for this year’s round of Spotify Holiday Singles, Franklin chose to bring good tidings with his gospel-infused cover of “Joy To The World.”

Why did you choose “Joy To The World?”

I chose “Joy to the World” because the world could always use a little more joy. Christmas is my favorite time of year because it’s a time where people are more optimistic. I want to get the message out there for everyone to spread a bit of joy everywhere they go, today and every day of the year.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

I love being with my family and giving them the holiday specials that I never had growing up. Whether that’s eating too much good food or giving them too many gifts. It’s the time where I really get to show my family how much I love and appreciate them for their constant love and support.

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

Ezra Collective

Since coming together in 2016, London ensemble Ezra Collective has become known for their distinct fusion of Black genres like jazz, grime, and Afrobeat. Last year the group, which consists of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison, released its third album, Where I’m Meant To Be, featuring collaborations with like-minded artists Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emeli Sandé, and Nao. 

And for their Spotify Holiday Single, the quintet lent its talent to a cover of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

Why did you choose the song you covered?

Femi: Christmas music is all about carols. The simplicity of them, but also the beauty in the melodies. I guess also growing up in church, around the Christmas period it’s the carols I would hear. For us, this tune is a really wavy carol, such a beautiful melody. So much to interpret and make your own. 

What’s a holiday tradition of yours?

Femi: It has to be the Ezra Collective Office Party. We have no office, but the name just makes it sound more grown up. It’s just an opportunity to eat and drink together. Secret Santa, and most importantly whatever that year has been, a moment to be grateful and thank one another. 

“Un Vaquero En Navidad”

Panter Bélico

Just 21 years old, Panter Bélico has become one of the leading lights of the Música Mexicana scene. The former Grupo Arriesgado member broke through as a solo artist earlier this year, topping charts with hits like “LA 701” and “Símbolo Sexual,” along with releasing his debut album, Punto Y Aparte. 

For this year’s edition of Spotify Holiday Singles, the rising star took a different approach and contributed an original song: “Un Vaquero En Navidad.” 

What was the inspiration for “Un Vaquero En Navidad”?

When they asked me to record an original Christmas corrido, I thought I’d go outside of the traditional and tell a story about something I’m passionate about, which is horses. I imagined being a cowboy at Christmas time, and that’s where the lyrics came from. And with my musicians, we realized that the northern cumbia style was best for the period. 

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Like everyone, we spend the night of the 24th having a traditional family dinner. We open gifts the morning of the 25th and get together that day for a reheated meal. 

Keep this year’s holiday celebrations turned up to 11 with Spotify Singles: Holiday Collection, featuring our full catalog of original songs and covers. 

The Wave of London Musicians Making Jazz Their Own

April 22, 2019

“I was 19 years old and got to travel Europe with a rapper—a dream come true,” says Femi Koleoso, drummer and bandleader of Ezra Collective, one of a growing number of London-based jazz groups bringing newfound global attention to the genre. Speaking by phone, he shared the story of his first big gig, when he was spotted at a jazz club and asked to support the acclaimed Queens, New York, rapper Pharoahe Monch on tour six years ago. Today, Koleoso is gearing up for the release of Ezra Collective’s debut album, You Can’t Steal My Joy (out April 26), while on tour drumming for Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith.

Like many of their peers on the UK jazz scene, Ezra Collective have been making their way to increasingly bigger stages of late. The quintet were included on last year’s celebrated We Out Here compilation, a project organized by DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson and released through his label, Brownswood Recordings. The album is a sweeping collection of offerings from across London’s vibrant jazz revival, from the cosmic sounds of Shabaka Hutchings, member of the Mercury Prize-wining band Sons of Kemet, to the Afrobeat-influenced grooves of eight-piece band KOKOROKO, whose self-titled debut EP was released earlier this month.

With Hutchings as its music director, the critically acclaimed compilation serves as a pivotal document of the scene, and Peterson recently announced a festival of the same name taking place on August 15-18 in Cambridgeshire. The fest is yet more evidence of the growing interest in new jazz in the UK, especially among young people. Just last year, the number of UK users aged 30 and under listening to Spotify’s Jazz UK playlist increased by 108%.