Spotify launches Hometown, a new live series putting UK artists back in the communities that made them

Vuk Winrow
34 minutes ago
2 min read

Spotify has announced a new live music format called Hometown, which celebrates the places and communities that have shaped some of the UK's biggest artists. The series kicks off this September with three one-night-only shows from Jorja Smith, Nemzzz and Beabadoobee, each returning to the city where their careers began. Spotify will invite each artist's top listeners to attend in person, and the performances will later be released as concert films on the platform for fans everywhere to watch.

A poster of three singers standing in front of a black background

Jorja Smith opens the series in Walsall on 6th September. The show arrives just weeks after the release of her new album, What Are The Odds, out 21st August. Smith said Walsall is where she first started writing and recording music as a teenager, and that the people and community there still shape her creativity today. "It's home, home is where my heart is and home is where I found my voice," she said, adding that she hopes the show inspires the next generation to believe big things can come from Walsall.

A poster of a singer standing in a white vest and black jacket in front of a black background

Next up is Nemzzz, one of the UK's fastest-rising rap artists, who plays Manchester on 12th September. His new album, Locked In, lands on 4th September. Nemzzz said he's always made a point of representing Manchester, and that doing Hometown with Spotify felt like a natural extension of that. "There's a pride that comes with doing it at home, around the people and places that have been there from the beginning," he said. "No matter where this takes me, I'll always find a way to bring it back home."

A poster of a male rapper standing in front of a black background

Closing out the series is Beabadoobee, who returns to London on 17th September. The multiple BRIT-nominated artist's new album, Pylon, is due 18th September. She said London is where she started finding her people, making music and playing small shows, which makes Hometown feel especially meaningful to her.

A poster of a singer standing in front of a black background in a black vest.

Beyond the performances themselves, Spotify is working with each artist on community-led initiatives in their hometowns, including donations to support local youth groups. Beabadoobee will be supporting The Avenues in London, saying it felt important to give something back to the community alongside the show. Hometown is part of Spotify's wider push into live performances and concert films, as the platform looks to bring its online and offline worlds closer together. The idea is to create moments that deepen the relationship between artists and the fans who've supported them from the start, rather than just streaming numbers on a screen.

Concert films from each show will premiere exclusively on Spotify in the weeks following the live performances, meaning fans who can't be there in person will still get a chance to experience each homecoming. With three artists, three cities and three very different sounds, Hometown ultimately offers a snapshot of just how varied British music is right now, while making the point that, for all of them, home still matters.

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