BRIT Award-winning artist JADE and renowned designer Anthony Burrill have joined forces with Youth Music, the UK’s leading young people’s music charity, on two exclusive T-shirts for the Rescue the Roots campaign – a £1 million fundraising drive to safeguard grassroots music projects across the country.
One is inspired by Jordan Stephens’ Rescue the Roots tattoo which was handwritten by JADE, while the other features a bold design by Burrill.
Available now via Everpress for £30, with all profits will going directly to community-based projects where young people make, learn and share music, the tees are already being championed by Stephens along with DJ Jodie Bryant.
With the festive season approaching, Youth Music hopes the T-shirts will be embraced as meaningful gifts that give back, supporting opportunities for the next generation of music makers.
Jordan Stephens said: “Everyone has the right to be creative. We need to cultivate spaces for connection and that’s why I’m so passionate about this campaign. As is my wonderful girlfriend [Jade Thirlwall] whose handwriting I’ve got tattooed on me and is on the t shirt. Every T-shirt helps the future. Rescue the roots.”
The T-shirts aim to raise awareness of the bleak outlook of the grassroots music sector, which is currently at breaking point. Without urgent support, access to local music projects will continue to decline, particularly for young people from marginalised backgrounds.
- 41% of grassroots youth music projects are at risk of closure – up from 24% in 2024
- 54% of Youth Music’s funded partners have waiting lists due to lack of resources – up from 50% in 2024
- Youth Music can currently support fewer than one in five (18%) funding applications, leaving 260,000+ young people without access to music-making opportunities
- The financial position of 41% of Youth Music’s funded partners is expected to worsen over the next year, with 28% uncertain about their future
Youth Music’s Rescue the Roots campaign is rallying the nation to save grassroots music, aiming to raise £1 million, which the charity will match pound-for-pound to unlock £2 million of vital support for over 18,000 young people.
Jodie Bryant said: “Grassroots music is the foundation of the entire music industry – it’s where some of the most exciting artists first discover who they want to be. Just as importantly, it’s where the original fans are born – the people who can change a musician’s career and stick with them for life. But as opportunities at this level become harder to find – discovering and nurturing new music is becoming more difficult. We need to protect the music, the fans, and the venues that make this possible. That’s why we need to Rescue the Roots!”
Shop Anthony Burrill’s t-shirt here and JADE’s t-shirt here.
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