Moseley Folk and Arts Festival has announced the opening of their annual bursary scheme in honour of renowned broadcaster, and friend, Janice Long.
Hello You! The Janice Long Bursary was set up in 2022 to support new and emerging artists. Each year, the winner of the award will receive a valued career-enhancing boost with professional recording studio time, an opening slot on Moseley Folk’s Second Stage (now renamed the Janice Long Stage) followed by a more profile appearance 12 months later, along with a photo-shoot, biography and biography.
Janice was the regular compare at Birmingham’s Moseley Folk and Arts Festival. Enthusiastically introducing artists to the stage, while also catching up with them behind the scenes, she insisted on attending the event every year until her tragic passing in December 2021.
John Fell, Moseley Folk and Arts Festival Manager, said: “Janice was consistently supportive of new artists throughout her career, and also hugely supportive of the festival. Her enthusiasm for music was utterly infectious, and our community was devastated by her passing. To honour her huge legacy, and with the backing of her family, we set up Hello You! For up-and-coming artists.”
2022’s award recipient was Louie Miles, a rising Liverpool-based multi-instrumentalist who grew up in the West Midlands. Winning the inaugural Hello You! Award, the singer songwriter has used his bursary to start work on recording his debut album. He also appears at this year’s Moseley Folk and Arts Festival, headlining the Janice Long Stage (Friday 1 September 2023).
Applications for Hello You! are now open, and close on Wednesday 16 August 2023. The scheme is open to unsigned artists in the Folk, Rock, Indie, Psychedelic and Alternative genres, who are based in England or Wales.
Born in 1955, in Liverpool, Janice Long’s broadcasting career stretched across five decades. The first woman to gain a daily music show on BBC Radio 1, she went on to host shows across BBC Radio 2, BBC 6Music, BBC Wales, Greatest Hits Radio, XFM and BBCWM – where she embraced Birmingham. A pioneer, she was also the first regular female presenter on BBC One chart show, Top Of The Pops.
For more information on Hello You! The Janice Long Bursary, and how to apply, head to moseleyfolk.co.uk/hello_you/