Kell-Leigh's keynote will come from her first hand experience of the music industry as both a session and independent artist. Photo provided by Kelli-Leigh.
Kelli-Leigh has 25,000 followers on Instagram and in addition to being a hugely successful artist, also uses her platform to promote diversity in the industry by being an active board member on the not-for-profit orgasnisation The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) – a UK trade body representing the specific rights and interests of music artists.
Kelli-Leigh was instrumental in the creation of the FAC and the MU's joint guidance for featured arists, which provides easy to follow advice on what rights are involved and the sorts of questions that musicians and artists might need to ask, in order to understand the role they are playing within a project.
A chart-busting career
Kelli-Leigh is an artist and songwriter, with her voice having been streamed over 500 million times. She has sung on a number of successful single releases (two ‘number one’ and three in the UK ‘top ten’) as well as singing on a Grammy nominated record.
As a songwriter, Kelli-Leigh has 70 published cuts so far, and as a former session artist has sung backing vocals for Adele, Leona Lewis and Jessie J. In a previous, specially comissioned blog for Women's History Month, Kelli-Leigh discussed her own experiences in the music industry in detail, while asking the question, “Can you open up doors to talent that may have been closed to them previously?”
She is now an independent artist running her own two labels and is also a board member of the FAC and fights for equality in the music industry for women and diversity.
Join the discussion
As a keynote speaker, Kelli-Leigh is able to share her experience with delegates. She says that she wishes to “create awareness of session recording for vocalists, especially in the dance music scene”, and that she has “unique scope of coming from the session world into an artists world” by running her own label and being a songwriter.
In relation, day two of the conference on Tuesday 18 October will also feature a panel discussion titled “Creating an Inclusive Music Industry”.
Join the discussion on how the music industry is working together to ensure that all musicians have equal access to opportunities. This panel will be led by MU member and Chair of MU EDI Committee Linton Stephens, featuring panelists Roger Wilson (Black Lives in Music), Yaw Owusu (Power Up), Ammo Talwar (UK Music), Nadia Khan (Women in CTRL) and Suzanne Bull (Attitude is Everything).
Speaking of the panel, Roger Wilson said:
“It's incumbent on the MU community as individuals and as a collective entity to understand and address the issues of equality and equity for everyone, and for the benefit of a better society for us all to live in.”
Breakout sessions
When you register to come to Members’ Conference, you’ll have the chance to sign up for breakout sessions.
Take a look at the list below and decide which you would like to attend for day two on 18 October - each session will be led by members, for members, with support from specialist organisations and MU staff.
Sessions will focus on practical ways of making change. That could be a new policy, position statement, campaign ideas or points for a lobbying agenda.
- An anti-racist code of conduct: Creating an anti-racist code of conduct to guide the industry and prevent racism with Roger Wilson and Charisse Beaumont (Black Lives in Music) and Yaw Owusu (Power Up). Session will be led by MU member Linton Stephens.
- Access for disabled musicians: How do we ensure access riders are industry standard and that musicians access needs are being met? With Suzanne Bull (Attitude is Everything) and Thursa Sanderson (Drake Music), led by MU member Andrew Lansley.
- Moving towards gender equality: How can the MU tackle the barriers that limit women in the music industry? With Nadia Khan (Women in CTRL), Christine Osazuwa (She Said So). Session will be led by MU member Isobel Anderson.
- Strengthening the talent pipeline: How do we ensure access to music education and a career in the music industry for working class musicians? With Kate Whitley co-founder of The Multi-Story Orchestra. Session will be led by MU member Jermain Jackman.
- Menopause and the music industry: How can the music industry break the culture of silence on menopause? With Alison Foster (Trade Union Studies Coordinator), led by MU member Millicent Stephenson.