Take the Square: Urban music event coming to Coventry in July
Two Coventry artists are working with the Coventry City of Culture Trust to put on a major free urban music event in the city centre this summer.
Skatta (24) and Sibby (20) have been commissioned by the Trust to deliver Take the Square, which will feature a host of local and national acts in University Square on Saturday, 13 July.
The free, ticketed event forms part of Music Month – running from 21 June to 21 July – and is an opportunity for Skatta and Sibby to shape and mould the kind of event that they want to see in their city.
The line-up of artists – which will include performances from Skatta, alongside Y-ETizm, and Sibby themselves – is close to being complete and features an incredible line-up of artists such as Yungen, Osh, Ace, Keedz and DJ KDUBZ.
Platinum selling rapper Yungen is one of the hottest artists in the urban music scene having been nominated for a string of awards since 2015 including the Rising Star award at the Global Awards in 2018.
Ace, from Radio 1Xtra, is an award-winning broadcaster and champion of new talent while Osh was a viral sensation in 2018 which led to him being signed by a record label.
The two curators, who have a background in urban music, have been at the heart of the decision-making process.
Sibby has been performing from a very young age and says her music goes beyond hype or recognition, as it’s a way to tell stories as an exclusive rite to self-love.
While Skatta describes himself as a young MC who is laying down tracks for a new generation and that the ‘music industry is listening up.’
The event will run between 2pm and 6pm and Sibby said it would offer something fresh to young people in the city.
She said: “We were excited to get the call to help create this show in Coventry. Lots of people our age say there is nothing for them to do so we wanted to bring musicians who would appeal to them.
“Personally, I have always believed that City of Culture was going to be great for Coventry and I believe that this event is going to change a few minds for young people – they will finally see that this is for them too.”
Skatta added: “For me, this is the next step in my journey. It’s an opportunity that I feel proud to have been given.
“Working with the City of Culture team and some of the other people involved has made us take it really seriously. We’ve been in meetings, we’ve had to plan everything, decide how we market the event and have had to make some big decisions. I just can’t wait now.”
Jon Davis, Senior Producer at Coventry City of Culture Trust, said Take the Square is a great opportunity for the Trust to provide a new platform for artists alongside offering event management experience to build capacity in Coventry ahead of 2021.
He said: “During the bidding phase, Coventry talked in a big way about how youth and diversity would be at the heart of programming.
“When we talked about Music Month, we wanted to put on an event that was curated by and for young people in the city and empower them to make decisions on how the event would look and feel.
“They’ve pulled together an exciting and incredible line-up of acts and they are genuinely excited to bring this event to the city for their peers.”
Although the event is free, tickets must be booked in advance at www.takethesquare.eventbrite.co.uk
