Beatfreeks ‘Soul Sessions’ held at Birmingham’s Town Hall

An array of young singers, musicians and spoken word artists took to the stage last night to showcase the best of Birmingham’s musical talent.

The special Soul Sessions event was organised by dance, music and creative writing collaborative team Beatfreeks, in partnership with the Town Hall & Symphony Hall’s Project Soundlounge.

Beatfreeks – founded by Birmingham-based community arts pioneer Anisa Haghdadi – were also supported by BBC Radio 1Xtra and their resident DJ Target, who helped attract a crowd of over 300 to yesterday’s one-off event at the city’s Town Hall.

Hosted by 23-year-old soul and jazz singer Call-Me Unique, alongside musical outfit Elements of Sound, the two hour event presented ten up-and-coming local artists performing a blend of acoustic, soul, R’n’B, jazz, rap, indie and funk numbers.

Among those gracing the stage were Alima ‘AffieJam’, Alisha Kadir, Zack Esposito, Elektrik, Relo, Jacob o’Neil, LB Robinson, NT Complex, David Fischer, Matthew Socci, Okeam, Jay_S and Jacob John.

“Beatfreeks is a movement. A movement of young people empowering themselves through music and media, through poetry and dance, and getting some transferable skills for life through those creative processes. That’s essentially what Beatfreeks is,” project director Giovanni ‘Spoz’ Esposito told the crowd.

>> GALLERY: Beatfreeks presents Soul Sessions | Birmingham Town Hall <<

Beatfreeks aims to host an eclectic mix of live eventsacross the West Midlands, promoting new talent and young leadership through its online platforms including Beatfreeks TV, supporting young talent infront and behind the camera. The organisation works closely with emerging artists to aspiring broadcasters and film makers, running social action, enterprise and leadership academies for 11-25 year olds. To find out more about Beatfreeks, visit: www.beatfreeks.com.

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