New York, NY (Top40 Charts) If Christian folk/pop songwriter Philippa
Hanna made a New Year's Resolution to make 2015 her biggest year to date, it looks like she is already well on the way to achieving it. The Sheffield-based musician hit the ground running in January by touring with Britain's Got Talent winners Collabro for 31 dates, meeting the musical movers and shakers in Nashville, and now as a recipient of a substantial
Music Export Growth Grant.
With tours with
Lionel Richie (2012),
Wet Wet Wet (2013) and
Rebecca Ferguson (2014) already under her belt, as well as four independently released albums to her name, Philippa
Hanna has become one of the biggest names in UK Christian Music. The next logical step is to take her music abroad - a step that is now possible thanks to an investment grant awarded by the
Music Export Growth Scheme. The British Phonographic Industry's Chris Tams explains:
"Any artist who is successful in receiving funding from the
Music Export Growth Scheme has gone through a rigorous selection process. They have had to prove to a selection panel of
Industry Experts that their international touring plans make sound artistic and financial sense. The panel were obviously impressed with Philippa's plans and we look forward to hearing of her future successes."
Run by the BPI alongside UK Trade & Investment, the
Music Export Growth Scheme offers grants to independent music companies to enable them to market successful UK artists overseas. For Philippa, this means turning her attention "stateside", where the market for music with Christian themes is larger, more established and better represented in the mainstream. Philippa says of the opportunity:
"I am elated to have received this funding from BPI, giving me an amazing opportunity as an unsigned artist to catapult my career forward… The funds are going to help me reach a whole new audience in territories previously difficult to explore, and strengthen our relationships within the international music industry."
She kicked off 2015 with a trip to Nashville, meeting with the city's five largest record labels and manager
Danny Nozell, best known for managing country legend (and hero of Philippa's) Dolly Parton. As well as talking business, she joined several major Nashville songwriters in the studio, and her collaboration with Zach Loomis, There Is A King, is set for release later this year.
This is not a story of overnight success, however - Philippa Hanna's flying start to 2015 follows years of hard work both on and off the stage. In the words of the BPI, "the Scheme has been set up to support emerging artists… that have had their first success in the UK and are ready to try and break into an overseas market." Behind the scenes, her management company
Storm 5 Management have built a formidable reputation both in the faith and mainstream music worlds.
As well as her partnerships within the music industry, Philippa understands the value of having a relationship directly with her fans. This has made her the ideal flagship artist for Rocket Fuel - an innovative fan-funding platform launched in 2014. With ongoing support from her fans, Philippa was able to cover the costs of the tour with Collabro, and has since begun raising funds to return to Nashville to record a new album. Thanks to the the BPI and UKTI, she will now also be able to market and promote her work there, providing a huge boost to her career whilst still remaining a truly independent artist.
