Melanie Percy: Early Career Promoter Fund
Concise Description: Host Nashville-style songwriting circle events in the next year, highlighting 4 artists per event for a total of 16 from various backgrounds and genres.
Bio: Founded by Melanie Percy (grant recipient) alongside co-partner Caroline Zandona, the Camden Songwriting Circle was created in response to London’s growing loneliness epidemic and a lack of supportive spaces for songwriters. Built as the community they longed for themselves, it offers a welcoming environment where artists can develop their craft and share their voices. Melanie brings a wealth of experience from across the live events industry, spanning stage management, live sound engineering, lighting design, and performing into her newer role as promoter at these events. Having worked on every side of the stage, she understands what it takes to deliver a truly memorable live experience. Through the highs and lows of the industry, she developed a clear vision of what makes events meaningful and inclusive. Since then, the Circle has grown its vibrant programme of events. Its Nashville-inspired writers’ rounds—aptly named the Camden Songwriting Circle—feature four songwriters at different stages of their careers, taking turns to perform original material and discuss their creative process in an engaging Q&A with the audience. With the Early Career Promoter funding, these writers’ rounds are expanding beyond their original venue into a variety of grassroots spaces across Camden, bringing live songwriting to wider and more diverse communities. Committed to financial accessibility, the Circle prioritise keeping events affordable, ensuring audiences are not priced out. This PRS Foundation support will help Melanie’s commitment to keeping fair pay for participating artists while allowing her and her team to explore sustainable and creative income streams to support the wider community. As the Camden Songwriting Circle grows, it continues to champion connection, creativity, and opportunity, supporting both emerging talent and the independent venues that need it most.