In an exciting new partnership, young people from social enterprise, Conscious Youth, are creating a theme tune for this year’s Huddersfield Literature Festival (HuddLitFest24).
Supported by funding from Youth Music, Conscious Youth has recently established a professional recording studio at The Corner Hub in Huddersfield town centre. The theme tune is being created as part of Conscious Youth’s Elevation Music project, a 16-week programme for young people who would like to develop skills and knowledge in music production, artist development and the music business. The eight participants are of black and multiple-heritage backgrounds and enjoy making music inspired by rhythm and blues, rap, pop and grime. All attend local schools or colleges.
When offered the chance to work with the festival, the participants decided to create a theme tune as it was something that has never been done before, as well as being an opportunity to get their sound and talent to audiences that might not normally listen to their styles of music. This year’s festival theme of ‘nature’ challenged the participants to think more consciously about their surroundings and the wider world, to think outside the box and to explore their creativity in new ways. The theme song created will be put forward for the Original Track Award in the 2024 Youth Music Awards.
During the festival (11-28 April), Conscious Youth will also run a free open mic event, Conscious Hour Unplugged, on 19 April in the HuddLitFest tipi. The tipi is a new festival venue, which will be open in the courtyard of Lawrence Batley Theatre from 17-28 April, in partnership with Huddersfield Live and sponsored by Huddersfield Town AFC.
Serena Johnson, director of programmes at Conscious Youth, said: “This has been a creative way of empowering youth voices through music. It isn’t just about hitting the right notes; it’s about nurturing creativity, promoting inclusivity, fostering collaboration and amplifying voices that deserve to be heard. Through the creation of a theme song for the Huddersfield Literature Festival, young people not only showcase their talent but also cultivate leadership skills and build confidence.”
Michelle Hodgson, director of the Huddersfield Literature Festival, said: “At HuddLitFest, we work closely with local organisations and schools on a variety of innovative projects. It’s one of the most rewarding aspects of our work and ensures that Huddersfield is represented at the festival in all its rich diversity. We’re really excited to hear what these young musicians create for us and hope that it will encourage more young people to engage with the festival in the future.”