THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AND SUCCESSFUL WOMEN ACROSS THE MUSIC AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES SHARE THEIR TOP 5 CAREER LESSONS…
YOLANDA BROWN (MUSICIAN, BROADCASTER, AUTHOR & CHAIR, BPI)
World tours, MOBO Awards and chart-topping albums might satisfy most artists – but YolanDa Brown OBE is not most artists. An acclaimed saxophonist, broadcaster, author, educator, entrepreneur and Music Week’s 2022 Women In Music Awards Music Champion, Brown is an all-round powerhouse. Known for blending jazz, soul and reggae in her music, she has shared stages with The Temptations, Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, Billy Ocean, and collaborated with Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurance and Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones, to name a few. But her creative influence extends beyond the concert hall; she composes for series such as Sesame Street and stars in her own BAFTA-nominated CBeebies show, YolanDa’s Band Jam. Offstage, Brown is also a leading advocate for music education. Previously the chair of Youth Music, she is a trustee of PRS Foundation and sits on the Arts Council England’s National Council. She supports emerging artists with the Drake YolanDa Award, and chairs the BPI. A familiar voice on Jazz FM, Scala Radio, BBC Radio 4 and London Philharmonic’s Offstage podcast, Brown added another string to her bow last year when she launched East London’s live music venue and restaurant Soul Mama with Adetokunbo ‘T’ Oyelola. Here, she shares the lessons that have shaped her career so far…
INTERVIEW: MIRANDA BARDSLEY PHOTO: MARIOLA ZOLADZ
1. Be prepared when opportunities arise “My career has been organic. If I’d waited for things like bookings or a label,
I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now. About 20 years ago, my manager T [Adetokunbo ‘T’ Oyelola] asked me, ‘Do you want to be a jazz musician playing jazz clubs?’ I said, ‘Actually, I want to entertain and inspire people.’ So we made a mind map, my name in the middle, and wrote down the things I wanted to do. I looked back at it recently, and it had charities, being a presenter, a children’s author on it… all of these things I had no idea how I’d do! But having that [visual cue] allowed me to respond to opportunities. Like when I presented the BBC Proms, I was asked what else I was working on, and I said, ‘I’m writing children’s books.’ That led to a meeting with CBeebies, which led to YolanDa’s Band Jam. I had no idea it was possible, but I was ready. Even with music, I’d stopped my PHD at the University Of Kent years ago to be a musician because I was responding to the opportunities around me – and last year I became the university’s chancellor, which was a full-circle moment, and maybe a sign! So my advice is: don’t wait, just do it.”
2. Know your voice and what you stand for “With broadcasting, the listener can always tell if you’re acting; you can’t
hide. I remember asking my agent, ‘When do I get presenting lessons?’ and they were like, ‘You don’t!’ I realised, it’s just me talking to an audience, making them feel comfortable, entertained. Being a children’s presenter also helps because children can see through you. Find your voice, know what you stand for, and bring that to the table. You might be pigeon-holed, people might think that you can only present one type of thing, but I hope my career shows that you don’t have to be. When I am on tour I might have a YolanDa’s Band Jam concert in the day, and at 7pm a grown-up jazz show on the same stage! You can do Jazz FM, be a children’s presenter and a touring musician.”
3. There is always another option “This is especially true for entrepreneurs and independent artists, when
things look dire, it’s about having the mindset of, ‘OK, things aren’t great, but there is a way.’ It helps if you have a team or someone to bounce off of, but after you’ve had a wallow, it’s about seeing the other options. With Soul Mama, we bought its domain in 2014, and we opened the doors in 2024. That was 10 years of people saying, ‘This doesn’t make sense, you don’t have the money.’ But we believed in it, and as hard as crowdfunding is, I said, ‘We’re going to the music lovers and seeing if they want to come.’ And they did. We raised more than a restaurant has ever done on the Kickstarter platform, and we had audiences already sitting in the seats when it opened!”
4. Lead with care, even in business “My mum always used to say, ‘Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you,’ no matter what. Being an executive or an entrepreneur can be hard and lonely, but if you lead with care and empathy, you’ll find others who do, too. It might seem ‘soft’ when you’re thinking about business, but if we do things with gentleness and kindness, we’ll move the dial when we’re thinking about diversity and making sure we’re giving people opportunities. It wouldn’t feel forced, you’d just naturally think, ‘Oh, this voice is missing from this table, where are they?’ If you’re doing things with the mindset of oppression, or ‘This is how it’s always been,’ you won’t ever see change.”
5. Don’t wait to be a millionaire to give back “Along the journey, you have to give back – even if you don’t have a lot of
money, you can still give your time, your support. You can learn so much from people who are learning from you, and that way you’re making an impact and growing. Like when I’m on tour, I always try to make sure I’m doing a workshop in a conservatoire or a school. As an artist, how do you reach out to the local community? With mentoring, too, people say, ‘I’m not there yet, I’ll mentor when I’ve done this or that…’ But if somebody is asking to learn from you, there’s obviously something that you can offer. It might not be convenient, but when you do, it feels great.”
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44 | Music Week
musicweek.com
CURATED BY GIR's
CARLA MARIE WILLIAMS MBE
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