Kickers x Next Gen: More Than Just Getting Your Foot in the

All images are captured by Bardha Krasniqi

On Wednesday 12 August, Kickers hosted Kickers x Next Gen at Cambridge Audio,  bringing together emerging artists, industry figures and creatives from across the UK for  an evening centred around the future of music.

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The event forms part of Kickers UK's wider Step My Way campaign, created with Youth  Music to break down barriers for early-stage and diverse artists entering the music  industry. Rather than simply offering exposure, the initiative focuses on giving emerging  talent the support, connections and opportunities to develop. 

For many, Kickers remains synonymous with the school shoe — but its relationship with  British music culture tells a different story. Its leather boots became a familiar part of  the indie uniform during the 2000s, finding a place alongside the era's emerging rock  scene and the fashion surrounding artists such as Arctic Monkeys. More recently, the  brand has continued to position itself within contemporary British music and fashion,  including a collaboration with Skepta's MAINS. That history gives Kickers a cultural 

identity that extends well beyond the school gates, and Next Gen feels like another step  in the brand's ongoing relationship with music, fashion and youth culture.  Getting Your Foot in the Door

The night began with a panel featuring the host Talia Andrea (Youth Music) and Anya  Broderick (Apple Music), Alex Broadgate (Platoon), Molly McGarry (Kickers Brand  Manager) and Melissa Kains (Sisu Crew). They discussed the current landscape of the  music industry and what is still missing when it comes to supporting emerging artists. 

A recurring theme was access. Getting an opportunity is one challenge; having the  resources, guidance and connections to build something from it is another. For artists  at the beginning of their careers, industry knowledge and meaningful networks can be  just as difficult to access as the initial opportunity itself. 

This is where Step My Way looks to go beyond a conventional brand campaign. Rather  than simply placing emerging artists on a stage, Kickers and Youth Music have created  opportunities for artists to develop their craft and build connections along the way. 

As part of the programme, the four Next Gen artists — JayaHadADream, Saloni, Shogun  Shato and Lleucu Non — took part in songwriting camps hosted at Platoon, giving them  the opportunity to experiment with their sound, collaborate creatively and build  relationships within the industry.

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Images show JayaHadADream, Saloni, Shogun Shato and Lleucu Non, respectively. That development work gave the evening's performances a greater sense of purpose.  The artists weren't simply selected to fill a line-up; the event represented one stage of a  wider process designed to give emerging talent the tools and networks to keep moving  forward. 

The four artists each brought their own sound and perspective to Cambridge Audio.  Saloni sings in ten languages, whilst Lleucu Non sings in Welsh. This offered the  audience a glimpse of the talent at the centre of the initiative while demonstrating the  diversity of voices that Next Gen is looking to support. 

As the formal programme came to an end, the music didn't stop there. Outside the  venue, artists and attendees gathered for impromptu freestyles, turning the end of the  night into a more spontaneous display of the creativity the event had been built around. With talent including LDEEA and Shogun Shato, amongst others. Away from the stage  and structure of the showcase, it felt like a natural continuation of the community the  night had brought together. 

For Kickers, that long-term involvement appears to be an important part of the project's  identity. Rather than simply attaching its name to a cause, the brand is looking to  remain involved throughout the journey — from creating opportunities and facilitating  creative development to ultimately putting artists in front of an audience. 

There's also something fitting about Kickers choosing music to continue evolving its  own identity. A brand once largely defined by what children wore to school is  increasingly looking towards the culture that has always existed around it — music,  fashion and youth — to remain relevant beyond the school years. 

And perhaps that's what makes Step My Way particularly fitting. For emerging artists,  breaking into music isn't simply about getting an opportunity; it's about having the  support to turn that opportunity into something lasting. 

Kickers x Next Gen is ultimately about what happens after the door opens.