The British Council has launched a global campaign celebrating 20 years of Selector, the international radio show which broadcasts new UK music across the world.
Connecting UK artists to a worldwide audience, Selector showcases the UK’s diverse music scene from grime and indie to dance and soul. The global platform has previously featured artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Elbow, and Amy Winehouse.
Selector has received multiple accolades, including a gold award at the Sony Royal Academy Awards for Weekly Music Show of the Year in 2005 and World’s Best Online Music Radio Show at the 2015 Mixcloud Awards. It was also recently nominated for an Audio & Radio Industry Award (ARIA) in the Best Specialist Music Show category against stations like BBC Radio 1Xtra and BBC Radio 6 Music.
Hosted by BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Jamz Supernova and produced by Folded Wing, Selector currently broadcasts in over 30 countries across the globe, and in 2020 expanded its reach to independent and unsigned artists with Selector Isolation Creations in the UK, and Selector Competition in wider Europe.
The Selector at 20 campaign features a music event curated by Supernova, featuring some of the UK’s new acts including DJ Snowy, Yard Act, Connie Constance and Sans Soucis. The show, pre-recorded at Total Refreshment Centre in London, will be streamed live to the public at 5pm on November 24.
“Presenting such a ground-breaking show as Selector, which truly has the power to change the music scene for the better, continues to be an honour,” said Jamz Supernova. “Reflecting on the past 20 years, I’m so grateful to have been a small part of Selector’s many great successes, from being nominated for awards to platforming musicians who went on to become household names. The next 20 years promises to be just as exciting, and I hope to be able to visit the global Selector family in person soon. Happy birthday Selector!”
Cathy Graham, director of music at the British Council, said: “I’m very proud of the remarkable achievements of the British Council’s Music team and the UK’s exceptionally talented music sector as we celebrate Selector’s 20th anniversary. The programme has ensured that emerging voices who would not otherwise travel globally have been heard in a multitude of countries as diverse as Mexico, Cuba, Vietnam, Spain and China. It has done so each week for the past 20 years without exception. Selector has showcased countless artists, and steadily contributed to the British Council’s commitment of building relationships between the UK and the rest of the world. Happy birthday, and congratulations to every single person who has been involved in the Selector success story since its inception”.
