Connecting the live music industry
YolanDa Brown Named 2025 Independent Venue Week Ambassador
November1
UK Independent Venue Week (IVW) will return in 2025, running from January 27 to February 2.
The
UK Independent Venue Week (IVW) will return in 2025, running from January 27 to February 2.
The week-long initiative celebrates independent music and arts venues across the UK and the dedicated people behind them.
For IVW 2025, jazz musician, broadcaster, and author YolanDa Brown OBE DL will serve as artist ambassador. Brown, who recently opened her independent venue and restaurant, Soul Mama, in Stratford, London, is set to perform her Bob Marley Songbook show there on February 1 as part of IVW. Other performances at Soul Mama will include Omar Puente Charanga Sextet on January 31, with additional shows to be announced.
The annual IVW brings together venues, artists, promoters, agents, and media to showcase the importance of these spaces for local music scenes. In 2024, IVW featured over 200 venues hosting more than 800 events nationwide.
Brown has a celebrated background, including winning consecutive Best Jazz MOBO awards and collaborating with artists like The Temptations, Billy Ocean, and Jools Holland. She is also known for her broadcasting work, including her BAFTA-nominated CBeebies show, *YolanDa’s Band Jam*, and her weekly Jazz FM and Magic Classical programs. Currently, she is composing music for *Sesame Street* and Netflix’s *CoComelon Lane*.
In addition to her ambassador role, Brown is a vocal industry leader, serving as chair of the BPI, a trustee of the PRS Foundation, and a board member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. She recently became a trustee of the Independent Venue Community, IVW`s newly established charity. As an advocate for diversity in music venue ownership, Brown aims to foster creative platforms and support the growth of independent music communities.
Sybil Bell, IVW founder and CEO, expressed her excitement about Brown’s involvement: “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a really broad range of IVW Ambassadors over the years including those at the start of their careers to household names, as well as a wide range of genres. This year, with YolanDa, we’re honoured to not only have such an accomplished musician but also an esteemed industry figure and new venue owner.
“Many of YolanDa’s fans and followers will be new to Independent Venue Week and it’s incredibly exciting for us to bring a new audience to our celebration and share some wonderful stories of our amazing community.”
Brown added:“Independent venues are, and will always remain important to the music ecosystem. They are the heartbeat of the live experience, not just for artists but for audiences as well. Within these intimate spaces, countless stories are told – some songs and performances may never transcend the walls, yet they leave a lasting mark, offering hope, joy, inspiration, and sometimes even tears. These venues are the breeding grounds and an important outlet for creativity and expression. As a new venue owner, it is important to have more diversity in music venue ownership in order to create a platform for new stories to be told.”
Past IVW ambassadors include Mercury Prize winners English Teacher, Wet Leg, Arlo Parks, Anna Calvi, and Wolf Alice, showcasing the diversity and impact of the UK’s independent music scene.
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