Spotify is putting the spotlight on where some of the UK’s biggest artists began with the launch of Hometown, a new live music series designed to bring artists back to the cities and communities that helped shape them.
The inaugural Hometown programme will see Jorja Smith, Nemzzz and Beabadoobee each return to their respective hometowns for a series of intimate, one-night-only performances this September. Jorja will take over Walsall Arena on September 6, followed by Nemzzz in Manchester on September 12 and Beabadoobee in London on September 17.
The shows will offer some of the artists’ biggest supporters the chance to see them perform in much more intimate surroundings, with Spotify inviting each artist’s top listeners to attend. The performances will later be turned into exclusive concert films, allowing fans around the world to experience the shows through Spotify.
For Jorja Smith, the Walsall date carries a particularly personal significance. The singer grew up in the area and began writing and recording music there as a teenager, making her return to Walsall Arena a full-circle moment.
“Walsall is where I first started writing and recording music as a teenager. It's where my love of music began,” Smith explains. “It’s home, home is where my heart is and home is where I found my voice!”
The venue itself also holds memories for Smith, having previously operated as a school before becoming one of Walsall’s largest community arts spaces. Her Hometown performance will also feature fellow Walsall artist Wesley Joseph, who Smith has known since childhood, alongside the Blue Lights Choir, an initiative launched through The Jorja Smith Foundation to create opportunities for young people in the area.
“Having Wesley Joseph perform alongside me felt really meaningful. We've known each other since we were kids, and watching his growth as an artist has been inspiring,” she says.
Smith’s hometown show arrives shortly after the release of her forthcoming album 'What Are The Odds', which is set to land on August 21 and follows her continued rise from local talent to one of Britain’s most acclaimed contemporary singers.
The series then heads north, with Manchester rapper Nemzzz bringing Hometown to the city that has played a central role in his development. Having built his reputation from Manchester’s rap scene into one of the UK’s fastest-rising artists, the upcoming performance is intended to celebrate both his own progression and the city’s influence on his sound.
“Manchester has been part of my story from day one and I’ve always wanted to bring the city with me wherever the music takes me,” says Nemzzz.
The rapper has consistently kept Manchester at the centre of his identity, and Hometown gives him an opportunity to reconnect with the places and people that supported him before his career expanded internationally. His new album 'Locked In' is due to arrive on September 4, just days before his hometown performance.
“I think Manchester has always had its own energy creatively,” Nemzzz adds. “There are so many people here doing their own thing and doing it in their own way, and being around that definitely shaped how I approached music.”
The final stop will see Beabadoobee return to London on September 17. The BRIT Award-nominated singer-songwriter has spent much of her career drawing from the city’s alternative music culture, having started out playing small venues and developing her sound within London’s grassroots scene.
“London has always felt like home to me, it’s where I started finding my people, making music, playing tiny shows and figuring out what I wanted to do, so Hometown feels really special,” Beabadoobee says.
Her performance will also look back to those early, sweaty club shows, bringing together fans who have followed her journey from the beginning. Alongside the concert, Spotify will work with Beabadoobee on a community initiative with The Avenues, supporting young people locally. The London show arrives just one day before her next album 'Pylon', which is scheduled for release on September 18.
Beyond the performances themselves, Spotify says Hometown will focus on creating tangible benefits within each artist’s community. The platform is working with Smith, Nemzzz and Beabadoobee on local initiatives and donations supporting youth organisations in their respective hometowns.
That community element is particularly important to Smith, who hopes the project can demonstrate what is possible for young creatives growing up outside the traditional centres of the music industry.
“I hope it's a moment that inspires the next generation to believe that big things really can come from Walsall,” she says.
With three artists, three cities and three very different musical journeys, Hometown is ultimately about bringing the story back to where it started. For fans who have watched Smith, Nemzzz and Beabadoobee grow from local talent into internationally recognised artists, Spotify’s new series offers a chance to see those journeys return home.
