Creativity makes the UK great – it’s needed now more than ever

We must find a way to help people who want to progress doing the thing they love – regardless of the pandemic

Roman Kemp at the Brit Awards in London earlier this year (AFP via Getty Images)

In normal times, I consider myself incredibly lucky to live in London, one of the greatest cities in the world. I can step outside and go to the theatre, or a gig, or watch some street performers. Best of all, as a Capital FM DJ, I can play new bands on the radio. These are the things I love doing, and which bring joy into my life.

This has all changed during the pandemic. As a country, forced to reflect on our new lives, we are asking ourselves: “What makes us happy? Who puts a smile on our face every day?” And it seems more and more of us are realising that it is the creative industries we miss most.  

My worry is that we are ignoring the “butterfly effect”. It’s not only the performers who are suffering. It’s the person in the ticket booth, who works for a theatre because it’s their passion and this job might be their way in. Or it’s the roadies who tour with the big artists, and who make the festivals or concerts we love so much happen every year.

I know the government has an incredibly difficult job to do in a hideous situation and they are trying to encourage people to find some security. But the reality is we don’t all work “nine to five” and not everyone’s job fits into a box: mine certainly doesn’t.

At the best of times, breaking into the arts or sustaining a job in it, is hard. It’s always been a difficult business, but now it’s at a crisis point. Everyone who works in the creative industries is feeling vulnerable, and although funding is finally coming through to support theatres, cinemas and the like, hearing the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, talk of people having to look for new opportunities, understandably makes them feel even more vulnerable.

I always remember how lucky I am. I grew up in a family where I’ve been able to enjoy a happy, privileged life because of the success my Mum, Shirlie, and Dad, Martin, had in the creative world, in Pepsi and Shirlie, and Spandau Ballet.

But what about all the people growing up with dreams, passions and hobbies and no idea how to turn them into a reality – especially now?

My parents encouraged me to turn my hobby into a job. But when I used to say to Dad, “Oh, can you get me a job on Sky Sports or wherever?”, Mum was always quick to tell me there was no substitute for hard graft. “Opportunities can come about in anyone’s life but when that opportunity arrives, you have to be prepared for it,” she would tell me.

Mum’s right. There is no opportunity without preparation, and no preparation without support. I’ve got to where I am at Capital because they believed in me and they gave me the time to develop my skills. My success hasn’t happened overnight, and nor did my dad’s. That happened because he and his brother Gary loved writing songs and performing, and they could get up in front of people in a pub and play their music. That wouldn’t be possible now, so what will happen to the next generation of musicians and performers?

We need to think hard about how to support young people making their way in the arts – and I’m always happy to get involved. Recently, I spoke to One Direction’s Niall Horan, who is organising charity events to help out unemployed roadies, and I’m currently judging the ASUS VivoBook competition called “Enter Your Voice”. We’re asking young visionaries to write or film themselves talking about something they are passionate about. I’ll mentor the winner, who gets a £10,000 bursary towards furthering their creative career and gets their work published – ASUS and I are aiming to inspire young creatives to take a step towards achieving their dream career. Because let’s not forget, financial support is also important.

The UK is an amazingly creative country and that creativity comes in all forms: from the team of doctors who took an idea to a tech company who then came up with a machine, which saved my dad’s life, to the husband and wife who made an amazing theatre at home because they couldn’t get out to one during lockdown.

Creativity is what makes the UK great, and right now during the pandemic it’s needed more than ever. We must find a way to help people who want to progress doing the thing they love: no one’s job should be made to fit in a box.

As told to Lebby Eyres

For more information, or to enter the ASUS VivoBook “Enter Your Voice” competition, visit: enteryourvoice.com