From being tipped by BBC Introducing North East and being a part of the Generator and Kycker Independent Artist Blueprint Programme earlier this year, Rosie Larada has had a brilliant 2026 so far. She has just played the Darlington Hippodrome as part of Last Train Home festival, and is a couple of singles in, with more on the way, with help from the Youth Music NextGen Fund. Rosie is carving out a distinctive style for herself both musically and visually, with her Look My Way music video having been released back in July, encapsulating the soulful, jazz energy that she does incredibly well.
After taking a break from music to focus on her health, Celia Grace has come back to the scene with a musical direction that is stronger than ever. Her five track EP A way of life came out on September 4th and brings together a cohesive collection of indie, alt-pop tracks with sharp, yet soft lyrics that show an incredible emotional depth. Celia has had support from Youth Music, and has been a part of the We Make Culture Next Steps programme, which has allowed her to take further strides into her creative projects. Celia has currently got a string of dates booked across venues in the North East from the end of September to November.
Callum Pitt has been releasing music since 2017, and has shown incredible growth over the past near decade. His latest single Ghosts Along the Coastline comes after three previous releases since March, and follows a three year hiatus after releasing his 2023 album In The Balance. The new releases stay loyal to his folk roots, but bring in elements from his soul and modern indie-rock influences. Callum has been featured on Radio 1, Radio 6, and other local and national radio stations, and has had positive feedback from hosts such as Jess Iszatt. It’s rare these days to catch Callum live, but he’s got plenty of tunes to listen to while we wait for the next gig announcement.
The county Durham rapper is another alumni of the Next Steps programme, having released his debut EP Gan Canny earlier this year with support from the We Make Culture programme. Orton focuses on writing lyrics that encapsulate his experiences growing up in the North east, with incredibly honest and cutting lyrics, he bares his soul through his music. Orton fell in love with music as a child, but only started sharing it online in recent years. Earlier this year, he performed his original tunes at the Music Cities Network A to B conference in Sunderland, and has been featured in the latest issue of Gan On magazine – pick up a copy to read more about his journey.
Reflective pop artist Isabel Maria has quietly yet firmly cemented herself as a staple of the Sunderland music scene. Having been a part of the Young Musicians Project since being a teenager, the musician and songwriter has released a string of singles and EP’s dating back to 2021. Her EP Did I Deserve It? came out back in April of this year, and Isabel is already back to putting out singles, with new tune Ruin being in its first few weeks of release. Isabel has just headlined Cluny 2 in Newcastle with Robyn Errico and Hels Pattinson as support, and has recently signed a publishing and distribution deal with Wipe Out Music, joining a whole host of artists, including some other Sunderland names.
