News Story

We brought Alter Ego back with a bang on Fri 16 Feb with the best 14 – 18 year old singers, rappers, dancers and spoken word artists East London has to offer. Our winner on the night was Rain!

Rain is an actress, script-writer, spoken-word artist and musician based in London. Her work focuses on topics that spark conversations and encourages her audience to prioritise and embrace the community around them. Everyone was captivated by her performance.

Alongside Rain the finalists for Alter Ego included singer-songwriters Blewska, Rayanna and Yaz, rappers D1GSZ, DDONEIT and LJ, dance group Dynamix, girl vocal group FCA and musicians Tobz & Slimz, who all performed alongside unbelievable music and dance headliners including DJ Teej, Mnelia, M24, Suli Breaks, Boy Blue and special guest on the night Ivorian Doll. The event was hosted by BBC Introducing’s Jess Iszatt.

I’m forever grateful for the support I’ve been blessed with throughout Alter Ego from Yamin, Fatima, the Hackney Empire Young Producers and the outstanding fellow young Artists that I had the upmost privilege to work alongside and to see them shine within their work. Thank you to all that attended that night and I’m glad I got to share such a special moment with beautiful people.”
Rain

“Alter Ego is an incredible and vital space as a programme and as a show. Recently we’ve seen a rise in young artists finding themselves on massive stages after songs they’ve made in their bedroom explode in popularity on the internet. However, alongside this there has been a real decline in the training and artist development available to young people, and that is what this programme provides. It’s a magical process watching these young artists go through the diligent training that prepares them to take on the 1200 seat venue that is Hackney Empire, and when the community shows up to support them and bring the place to life, it’s nothing short of electric.”
Fatima Sheekhuna, Learning & Participation Producer