YouTube Music recently announced the new class of artists as part of their global artist development program, Foundry. We’re excited to work alongside multiple artists who were selected as part of the 2021 Foundry class, including Sinead Harnett, reggie, Doul, and ENNY.
Foundry’s mission is to support independent artists by investing in long-term relationships with promising talent and assisting them through marketing campaigns to build and develop their careers. This year’s Foundry class is the largest to date with 27 total artists from 14 different countries!
The selected artists spoke with YouTube Music about themselves, their music, and their involvement as a member of the 2021 YouTube Music’s Foundry class. Find the official 2021 YouTube Foundry playlist here.
Sinead Harnett
London, England
“My music is honest, and influenced by classic R&B. A healing, aural hug, if you will. Being an artist is something I’ve put so much time and work into, just simply for the love of it. I never knew it would become my career, but I knew I would want to write and sing forever. I feel lucky to be independent, in the sense that I’m living up to my expectations and no one else’s. It’s not always easy, but trusting in and carving out your own vision is exhilarating. I believe success as an independent artist lies in having creative control, and in being able to sell out tours and connect to fans. Being supported by an epic team for my visuals and music will be a huge step in my career. I’m excited to reach new audiences and introduce myself to people that don’t know about me yet. Foundry is a big look, and I’m so excited to make it count.”
ENNY
London, England
“Since childhood, I had a love for music and the older I got, the more the desire grew. I would describe my music as a new vibe with an old feel and a fresh perspective. Being an independent artist means being a bit more hands-on with all sides of your music. It might mean more work for you and your team but it makes the wins both small and big even more gratifying. For me, success is seeing people discover and connect with your music. And also knowing you’ve done the best you can, when creating and releasing your art.”
Reggie
Houston, Texas, United States
“My music tells you about me. It gives you something to relate to. I want the world to know I’m human. To me an independent artist is someone who is free to do what they want and move how they want. It’s a constant grind: you’re always talking to your team. You’re playing the game with other artists who have a lot of people behind them. But you get to make everything exactly how you want to make it. As creators, I hope we can get to a point where we can sustain ourselves. I hope the future of independent music is that it’s not even called independent music, because it’s such a normal way of doing business.”
Doul
Tokyo, Japan
“I want to share my music with people all around the world, and touch their soul through my expressions such as my sound, lyrics, fashion or makeup. Thanks to Foundry, people who have never heard of me can get to know me and my music.”
