Dedicated to ensuring disabled artists have a seat at the table and are truly represented within the music industry.
Brought about as a result of a partnership between the Featured Artists Coalition‘s (FAC) ambassador programme and our Next Stage initiative, we are proud to be championed by a group of dual artist ambassadors.
If you’d like to speak to us about working with one or more of our Artist Ambassadors, contact our Artist Development Manager Hillary via [email protected].
Blaine Harrison
Blaine Harrison is a songerwriter, the lead singer of Mystery Jets, and an Attitude is Everything Patron, advocating for access for Deaf and disabled artists.
Mystery Jets started performing in 2004, and have released 5 studio albums. The most recent, ‘A Billion Heartbeats’, was released digitally in April 2020, and reached number 85 on the UK Albums Chart. Blaine has stated that Mystery Jets will only play in venues who have made an effort to cater for people with disabilities and refrain from playing in small, crowded pubs.
Ali Hirsz
Ali Hirsz is the lead singer of Idealistics, and advocates on behalf of disabled artists.
Idealistics are an emerging band, championed by 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers. Her band are similarly principled to the Manics’, fiercely championing equality and justice, while sharing an equally punchy musical style.
Having endured ableism within everyday life and as a musician, Ali is focused on educating the music industry on disability and ending the stigma surrounding artists who are disabled.
Rob Maddison
Rob Maddison is a musician and producer, he became a wheelchair user in 2008 after a spinal cord injury.
Since his injury Rob has written, performed on and produced three albums for the bands Revenge of Calculon, Spaceships are cool and Yunioshi. He has played at festivals and events all over the world including Glastonbury festival, the London Paralympics, CMJ in New York, Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavik, NXNE in Toronto and Comic Con London, as well as curating Melodica international acoustic festival in Nottingham.
Rob has also written music for various film and television shows and has had appeared on The Last Leg and BBC Radio 6 Music.
Benny Bizzie
Benny Bizzie is and R&B and Grime singer, songwriter, producer and engineer.
Following a transition from Grime to R&B, the singer has worked with Ghetts, Wretch 32 and Producers Cee Figz, Rapid, and Z Dot. Bizzie has received air play from Charlie Sloth, Westside radio and Dan Blake (Pulse 88 Radio). He received two UMA nominations for Best male and Best R&B with features on SBTV, GRM Daily, and Link up TV. Bizzie’s E-Motion EP has reached over 300k views on YouTube and over 100k Spotify streams. The singer has a growing online presence and has performed in notable music venues in London, including the infamous Ronnie Scott’s and Troy Bar.
Ruth Lyon
Ruth Lyon is a singer, composer and activist from North Yorkshire. She is also leader of the band Holy Moly and the Crackers.
As a wheelchair user and passionate activist Ruth is an ambassador for Attitude Is Everything who campaign to improve deaf and disabled people’s access to live music. As a spokesperson she has appeared on panels at The Roundhouse, Glasgow Jazz Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival as well speaking at the 2020 APPG parliamentary session diversity in music. Ruth has been published in Hey Girl, NME, BBC, PRS M Magazine. In 2020 she was nominated for the ITV positive role model of the year award.
Kelli Blanchett
Kelli Blanchett is a disabled singer songwriter/musician from the Midlands, who resides in London. She has most recently been part of Self Esteem, singing and dancing. She has played at Great Escape, Field Day, toured with Django Django and completed a UK headline tour with Self Esteem.
Elle Chante
Elle Chante is a musical self-expressionist based in Birmingham. Using her vocals, lyrics and instrumentation she strives to encompass and share with the audience the world that she lives in.
Hannah Scott
Hannah Scott is a touring folk songwriter who writes alongside her creative partner, writer-producer and multi-instrumentalist Stefano Della Casa. Her work has been featured on television and radio, include BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music. She has also been supported by Clash Magazine, The Guardian and Mojo. Hannah’s second LP ‘Drawn To Darkness’ was funding by Help Musicians UK and dropped in 2021.