How refugee and immigrant musicians enrich UK music

According to UNHCR, almost 110 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide in 2022. This figure was an all-time high, driven by the invasion of Ukraine and unresolved wars in other parts of the world including Syria, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Humanitarian crises like these force countless people to flee their homelands, facing the risk of death and separation from their families, and carrying severe trauma and psychological distress with them. Moreover, poverty and underdevelopment cause many more to seek a better life for themselves overseas, despite the strong possibility of experiencing discrimination and xenophobia when they arrive.

Whether forced to flee their countries as refugees or seeking a better life as immigrants, many people seeking to enter the UK are talented musicians that have much to offer the nation. In this article, we’ll explore some of the major contributions that refugees and immigrants have made to UK music over the past few decades and explain what measures can help them continue doing so.

What impact have refugees and immigrants had on UK music?

Over the years, immigrants have made a huge impact on the UK music scene. The flow of people from former British colonies injected new and exotic sounds that transformed the sound of British music.

When the Windrush generation arrived in London after WWII, they brought a host of diverse sounds with them, including jazz, reggae, blues, gospel, and calypso. Coming to terms with the realisation that they’d been invited under false pretexts and facing discrimination from the British public, many of these immigrants turned to music as a safe space in which they could take comfort in their familiar culture.

Yet these sounds resonated with the British youth, leading to propagation through new movements such as the ska, sound system, and rave cultures – as well as the more recent genres like jungle and grime. And not only do many of Britain’s most iconic sounds have their roots in immigration, but in fact a surprising number of celebrated artists came to the UK as refugees.

Freddie Mercury the lead singer of Queen, fled to England from Zanzibar during the Revolution of 1964. Contemporary pop artist Rita Ora came to the UK from Kosovo to flee the Yugoslav wars when she was just a baby. Dua Lipa’s parents fled the same conflict from Albania. And award-winning rapper MIA came to the UK with her family to escape the Sri Lankan civil war.

What support is there for refugee musicians today?

Without the input of immigrants and refugees, UK music wouldn’t be what it is today. Knowing and celebrating the input of this talented segment of the population, we should be proactive in giving them the support they need to continue contributing to our culture. And there are plenty of measures that can be put in place to achieve this, including:

• Financial aid – There are a number organisations that provide funding and financial for struggling artists, which can help refugee musicians create, record and perform their music.
• Legal advice – Having access to information and guidance can help refugee musicians avoid exploitation and have the confidence to seize favourable opportunities.
• Education – Academies and institutions can offer scholarships to talented musicians, giving them the opportunity to take their skills to the highest levels possible in the nation.
• Community – Establishing bands and orchestras specifically for refugee musicians can give them an environment that lets them connect with peers who share similar lived experiences and encourages their talents to flourish.

These measures are a good start, yet more could still be done. As awareness spreads of the impacts that refugees and immigrants have made on UK music, we will hopefully see more support systems put in place to further support artists from these demographics.

A richer music culture

Countless refugees and immigrants have made indispensable contributions to UK music, including some of the nation’s most celebrated artists to the Caribbean influences that are still shaping today’s culture.

There are already support systems already in place that enable the current generation of refugees and immigrants to make their own unique contributions – and we should reinforce these to make it easier for future generations to flourish.

Encouraging individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to share their art can only produce a greater variety of music for the nation. And through collaboration, these artists produce novel combinations and styles that would not have otherwise existed. When we welcome and celebrate talented musicians into our nation, we sow the seeds of a more diverse and richer music culture.