Women Take the Lead At Ultimate Seminar 2018 with Kamille [@kamilexx] and Alicai Harley [@alicaiharley]

On 24 November 2018, leading UK music conference, Ultimate Seminar, returned for another year to provide young creatives with networking opportunities, further education and insider insight of the music industry. This year’s conference was organised by Cre8ing Vision in conjunction with the University of Westminster Creative Enterprise Centre, supported by Arts Council England, and sponsored by BMI, Ministry of Sound and Island Records. Ultimate Seminar 2018 heavily built on the success of the previous year, galvanising a new wave of emerging creatives through encounters with inspirational industry leaders and practitioners in the music scene.

Featuring a superstar line up of panellists and speakers – A&R powerhouses, top producers, DJs, music lawyers, managers, singers and songwriters.  From the likes of Capital XTRA DJ Manny Norte to Dancehall singer and rapper Alicai Harley, a rising star in her own right. The event was aimed at practically empowering and mobilising these young creatives to take steps towards fulfilling their musical aspirations. Leading the line-up alongside Alicai was award-winning songwriter Kamille, who shared her experience of quitting her job as a City Stockbroker to write for Rihanna and Little Mix, alongside release tracks with artists such as Kranium and Gorgon City.

L-R: Etta Bond (singer and songwriter), SILVASTONE (singer), Manny Norte (DJ, Capital XTRA/A&R, Polydor), Alicai Harley (singer), James Vickery (singer), Osh (singer and rapper)

Photo credit: Paul Hampartsoumian

Singer-Songwriter Etta Bond (above, first on the left), who has just completed her first headline tour, encouraged attendees to “recognise the talent of those around [them]”, alluding to the benefits of networking sideways. Acknowledging the cross-collaboration possibilities of drawing upon the creative capabilities of your own immediate circles. Breakthrough star Osh, who released viral hit ‘My Ye is Different to Your Ye’, reminded attendees that ‘timing and patience’ is key – apt to those who were aware of Osh’s pre-October 2018 back catalogue.

Now an established fixture of the UK music industry calendar, one of the most refreshing things about Ultimate Seminar is the fact that many of the panellists and speakers are still very much up-and-coming in their own right. In the words of the Cre8ing Vision founders Kwame Kwaten, Nicola Charles and Andrea Euell, it is “beautifully cyclical” the way in which “those that sit in the audience to learn are often those that are sat on a panel a couple of years later recounting what they learnt”. It will be interesting to see which members of this year’s audience will grace the stage at Ultimate Seminar 2019. Watch this space.

You can join the #UltimateSeminar conversation here.

~ @ajiayorinde