Fender has announced today the third annual class taking part in its artist development programme, Fender Next, for 2021.
The programmed is designed to support 25 artists from around the world who have been making strides in guitar through their music and culture.
Each artist will receive a Fender guitar, amp and more in addition to support with 360-marketing across the Fender multi-channel platform. This year marks Fender’s 75th anniversary, and it hopes to help further grow the Fender Next artist’s global outreach across its 10 million-strong social channels following the impact of Covid-19 affecting an artist’s ability to connect with new and current fans.
The Fender Next Class of 2021 is: Alex Hall, Alfie Templeman, Ambar Lucid, Arlo Parks, Ayron Jones, Beach Bunny, Blue DeTiger, Cain, Drax Project, Fiokee, Foushee, Gabriel Garzon-Montano, Griff, Hannah Dasher, Hitsuji Bungaku, Holly Humberstone, Lime Cordiale, Noreh, Nova Twins, Remi Wolf, Ritt Momney, Sports Team, Stand Atlantic, Supsended 4th and Tendre.
“Fender is iconic," said Fender Next 2021 artist, Remi Wolf. “Fender was the guitar brand I was aware of as I was growing up, so it’s crazy that they’re supporting me in this way. For my debut album, we’re pretty much exclusively using Fender guitars and I have been using them my entire life. It’s a nice little full circle moment for me.”
Fender’s marketing team, who chose artists that had developed their guitar-driven music into unique and fresh directions, selected the class of 2021, who were submitted by the public and A&Rs. This year the class consists of more than 50% women, with 7 countries and 5 continents represented.
“As leaders in the music space, we have a responsibility to support new artists looking to establish careers long-term,” said Evan Jones, CMO at Fender. “We’re uniquely positioned to showcase and develop emerging artists on a global scale, and it’s our goal to act as a best-in-class marketing partner to them, leveraging the full breadth of our capabilities and brand investments on their behalf. We see the Fender Next programme as foundational to our bigger brand mission, and a critical part of our long-term commitment to showcasing the depth and diversity of today’s artists, moving guitar forward in music and culture.”
Previous artists involved in Fender Next include the likes of King Princess who went on to perform on SNL, Beabadoobee who won an NME Radar award and BRIT nomination, as well as Fender Next classmate Sam Fender, and Black Pumas who were nominated for three Grammy Awards. Some can also go on to receive their own limited edition Fender Artist Signature Models like Miyavi and his very own Signature Telecaster.
“The power of musical expression is universal and we’re proud to welcome the Fender Next Class of ’21 with artists from Africa, Europe, Latin America, the U.S. and everywhere in between to this program,” said Matt Watts, VP of marketing at Fender. “These artists are not only pushing their respective genres forward, but they’re pushing guitar forward. Our goal is to help create long-term exposure for the artists in the program, support their creative passion and provide tools to fuel their creative output. Given the rapid changes in the music industry over the last 12 months, we know that this support is more important than ever.”
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