Vocals and Verses

Vocals & Verses began in 2011 and has provided a platform for some incredible underground artists, who have since enjoyed the spoils of mainstream success.

In April, Vocals & Verses celebrates its sixth anniversary with an evening of scintillating spoken word and live music.

Dress to impress, as this is a momentous occasion.

AUTUMN SHARIF

Autumn Sharif is a Somali/Dutch singer-songwriter based in southeast London, born in Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Autumn started singing as early as 3 years old and writing songs around 7. Music has always been Autumn’s first love and growing up she loved and learned from artists such as; Michael Jackson, Selena Quintanilla, Freddie Mercury, Mariah Carey and Amy Winehouse. Her amazing voice been featured on BBC’s The Voice UK, where she made it to the live stages, as well as having her own headline show at the prestigious Proud Camden in March 2017.

TONY BLAIZE

A first generation London native, Blaize is no stranger to the adage “you sow what you reap”, choosing to pave his musical career with a near obsessive work ethic and hundreds of unused demos rather than roll the dice with the first songs that sprung from his mouth. It’s no surprise, then, but somehow fortunate that he was drawn to guitarist and producer ‘The Wu’. The Wu has nurtured Blaize as he’s grown in a recording studio and as a performer on stage ; Patiently supervising as he sculpted his sound and he’s challenged Tony in a way that has been both uncomfortable and fruitful. America has given the world its fare share of messengers in Hip and Rnb . London is finally about to give the world a new voice of soul music.

KAIA

Kaia is a songstress from South London, who describes her music as a mixture of soul, R&B and electronic. You can check out her EP called ‘Waves’, which can be purchased on Bandcamp.

AMY LEÓN

Amy is a poet, musician and educator. She performs frequently all over New York and has toured numerous times across the UK performing in collaboration with the likes of the BBC, Roundhouse, Amnesty International and more. An alumna of the Nuyorican Slam Team, she fuses music and poetry through powerfully transparent performances focusing on social inequalities and celebrating love, blackness, and what it means to be woman.

JJ BOLA

Kinshasa born, London raised writer, poet, and educator. JJ Bola’s work is centred on a narrative of empowerment, humanisation, healing of trauma as well as discovery of self through art, literature and poetry. Creating the increasingingly popular addage, ‘hype your writers like you do you rappers’,he believes that the true purpose of poetry (art) is to expose the reality of this world and how to, most importantly, survive it. His debut novel, No Place to Call Home, is out in June

SUGAR J

SugarJ is a young Croydon based poet. His poetry explores love, identity and relationships between both people and things. SugarJ has performed his poetry at range of venues including the Roundhouse, the Southbank Centre and Birmingham NEC Arena. He is one of the faces of Nationwide’s ‘Voices’ ad campaign with his poem ‘Face to Face’ and is a current Barbican Young Poet. Writer, compere, performer, SugarJ is a special artist who brings his own unique sweetness to every project he’s involved in.

Hosted by the charismatic GANI B.