After a truly wonderful night of live music at Pilton Working Men’s Club on Saturday night, Cambridge-born, Jamaican-Irish rapper and singer JayaHadADream was named the winner of Glastonbury Festival's 2024 Emerging Talent Competition, which is supported by PRS for Music and the PRS Foundation.
JayaHadADream - who recently quit her job in a sixth form to pursue music full-time - wins a slot on one of the Festival’s main stages, plus a £5,000 Talent Development prize from the PRS Foundation.
Said JayaHadADream: "I am honestly so grateful and overwhelmed - in the best way - with all the love and support. I am so excited to share the stage with my live band and show Glasto what we do! I am also buzzing to see the site and immerse myself into the world of Glasto. I am already in awe of the way it is organised, and being part of this competition has giving me such an insight into the passion and commitment to the community the organisers have. I am blown away!”
The judges – who included Emily Eavis, Glastonbury stage bookers and music business professionals – gave the two runners-up places to singer-songwriter Nadia Kadek and soul singer Caleb Kunle. Both acts receive a £2,500 Talent Development prize from the PRS Foundation.
While announcing the winners, BBC 6 Music’s Huw Stephens also confirmed that all eight acts on a night of powerful performances will be given slots at this year’s Festival, meaning that The Ayoub Sisters, Bryte, KID 12, Olivia Nelson, and Problem Patterns will also be playing.
The winner of the 2023 competition was the Guinea-born, Cardiff-based musician N’famady Kouyaté, who says of his experience: “Winning Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition was amazing and has opened loads of doors for me. It gave me and the band a chance to perform on an amazing stage at an incredible festival. Winning also meant that I could take the next steps to further my career. If you think you’re ready to take the next steps too, I highly suggest you enter this year’s contest!”
Other recent Emerging Talent Competition finalists include Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis McLaughlin in 2022, 2020 lockdown winner R.A.E; 2019 winner Marie White, who later signed with Decca Records and Universal Publishing; rapper Flohio who won the prestigious Music Moves Europe Talent Award in 2020; R&B singer Izzy Bizu (a 2016 BRITs Critics’ Choice nominee and winner of the 2016 BBC Music Introducing Award); and singer-songwriter Declan McKenna, who won ETC 2015 and subsequently signed with Columbia and has released two successful albums. The 2017 ETC winner was singer Josh Barry, who has since toured with Rag’n’Bone Man and Gorgon City. Meanwhile, 2016 winners She Drew The Gun have received considerable acclaim for their politically-inspired psych-pop.
