Saffron's artist development programme for Black women and gender diverse music creators returns
The latest instalment of the mentoring programme will support three artists
Saffron's artist development programme for Black women and gender diverse music creators has returned for a new round.
The next instalment of EMERGING, a year-long mentoring programme, scheduled to begin in September, will support three artists, and will take in a creative retreat, music industry training and a bursary towards music creation.
In order to be eligible for the programme, applicants must be 18 or older and living in South West England for its duration (September 2026 until August 2027). They should also be a woman, non-binary, trans, intersex or gender non-conforming, and be Black or of Black heritage (including mixed heritage).
"I am really excited to bring back our Emerging Artist Development Programme," said Saffron founder Laura Lewis-Paul. "We're seeing a real shift, with more Black women and gender-diverse producers emerging across Bristol and the South West, but we know there's still a long way to go.
"Only around 5% of music producers were women, and less than 1% were women of colour. We know we need to invest in talent, create opportunities and build a community where Black artists are really able to thrive."
The deadline for application is 6pm on Friday, 31st July. You can find more information here .
Programme alumni include producer and session bassist Marla Kether, who released her debut EP ‘All That We Have’ via Saffron’s label arm in 2023, and Bristol-based DJ, producer and artist Grove .
Saffron has been running its support programme for artists for a number of years now. In 2023, the collective behind the organisation launched a fundraising campaign to help them continue their work advancing gender equality within the music industry.
