The FAC announces 15 new Artist Ambassadors plus support from Johnny Marr & Paloma Faith

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), the UK artist trade body, is delighted to announce fifteen new Artist Ambassadors from a diverse range of backgrounds, helping to grow the organisation’s community and amplify it’s message of fair representation for artists. In addition the FAC is delighted to receive support from two of Britain’s finest musicians and songwriters Johnny Marr and Paloma Faith.

Johnny Marr says "Artists need a voice. That's why I'm pleased to add my support for the FAC, the organisation that is giving the artist community the collective voice that it needs."

New Artist Ambassadors include none other than Skin, the lead singer of multi-million selling British rock band Skunk Anansie. Born of Jamaican heritage and raised in Brixton the singer has created a path for women in a genre traditionally dominated by white men. London’s Nova Twins, who have worked with Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys), have followed this path and also join the FAC, whilst consistently using their platform to champion inclusivity and diversity.

The FAC represents a variety of artists from around the globe, announcing Canadian DJ, producer and former Radio 1 broadcaster B.Traits as well as one of the founding fathers of house music Larry Heard aka Mr. Fingers from Chicago. Joining them as international ambassadors are Sophia Saze, born in Georgia and based in New York, South African producer Esa, as well as Moscow-born and Denmark-raised artist Anastasia Kristensen. 

We are thrilled to welcome London trio Pengshui, who keep tearing down walls between grime and punk at festivals like Glastonbury, Anna Meredith, described as ‘one of the most innovative voices in British music’ by Pitchfork, and Jake Burns, frontman and founder of Belfast’s seminal Stiff Little Fingers, to the community. Simone Marie Butler, DJ, session bass player and bassist with Primal Scream, Welsh producer and multi-instrumentalist The Anchoress, as well as Tawiah, who‘s debut album secured support tours with Michael Kiwanuka, are also among the host of talented Artist Ambassadors.

Together with some of the most exciting acts from Manchester, including Afrodeutsche, a British born Ghanaian/Russian/German artist, composer and producer, and Children of Zeus, a soul project from Konny Kon & Tyler Daley, these ambassadors are going to help provide a more powerful artist voice within the music industry and beyond. 

David Rowntree (Blur), FAC Artist in Residence:

"In the current situation, it is more important than ever to have a strong, united and representative artist body. The newly announced Artist Ambassadors come from a broad range of genres, backgrounds and stages in their careers, from breakthrough talent to established stars. They are united by the FAC’s mission to provide fair representation and a collective voice at all levels of the debate. I look forward to working together with them and the rest of our community to make sure we are heard loud and clear."

David Martin, FAC General Manager, said:

"I’m delighted to welcome these incredible artists to the FAC family. Right now, perhaps more than ever, people are recognising the value of music. Sadly we are also seeing the devastating impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the industry and the precarious position that many artists are in. This cannot be right for those who are at the very core of making our industry a global success. Therefore we’re delighted that the Artist Ambassadors are coming together and lending their voice to help us support the artist community with the representation and visibility that it needs."

About the FAC: The FAC is the UK trade body representing the specific rights and interests of music artists. We are a not-for-profit organisation, serving a diverse, global membership of creators at all stages of their careers. The FAC is formed by artists, for artists, and we place this ethos at the centre of all we do. We are an inclusive community that advocates, educates, collaborates and researches on behalf of artists, coming together to provide a strong, collective voice within the industry and to governments domestically and abroad. 

The FAC celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2019, having been formed in 2009 by pioneering artists including Billy Bragg and Pink Floyd's Nick Mason. The FAC's Board of Directors represents some of the most recognised names in the music world with the likes of Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Imogen Heap, Katie Melua, Sandie Shaw, Howard Jones, Fran Healy (Travis) and Blur's David Rowntree as the organisation's Artist in Residence.