Passion Project Radio, Episode 1 (30th December 2025)
Initially conceived as a university project, Passion Project has transformed into so much more since it began, offering a space where a diverse range of artists from minoritised backgrounds can create, collaborate and showcase their work on their own terms. The project ultimately started out in 2017 as an anti-establishment initiative working to challenge the status-quo of the arts and music industry more broadly and confront the exclusion it relied on. Now, still in keeping with this message, it serves as a lifeblood and forum for the music makers who form its community. Many of whom have faced challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic especially but have continued to adapt and find ways to share their art in spite of the increased barriers to progression and reduced efforts by venues and organisations alike to keep the doors of inclusion open.
It’s in launching their latest radio showcase, in a series of many, that the project’s performers have found a unique platform in which they are able to continue their work. Radio has the power to reach wide audiences without the need for physical presence, making it an ideal medium for queer, disabled and/or working‑class artists who may face physical, economic or other barriers to participating in in‑person performances and exhibitions—and the organisation understands this. In a world where many have returned to “normal” and resumed in‑person events, there is a large, unseen group of disabled artists who continue to experience social and professional isolation. For these artists, even attending a gig or showing up at an exhibition can be a risky endeavour, leaving many excluded from the spaces they once called home.
A recent 2024 report from the Musicians’ Union and Help Musicians paints a stark picture of how entrenched these exclusions are. Among the nearly 2,600 disabled musicians surveyed, 88% who had disclosed or been open about their disability say they have experienced discrimination in their professional environments. 94% of those reported that this discrimination affected their ability to work or advance in their careers. Many face financial instability—disabled musicians on average earn about £4,400 less per year than non-disabled peers who work fully in music. Barriers of cost (equipment, transport), lack of clear routes to progression, and poor wellbeing (physical and mental) were commonly cited. These figures underscore why initiatives like these are not just valuable but urgently necessary.
By embracing non-asynchronous digital formats like radio, the Passion Project’s showcase creates a way to ensure that their work can still be seen without compromising safety for art. This showcase is in both parts an invitation to those who might not otherwise get the opportunity to share their work in traditional settings and a celebration of one another and by audiences who understand the value of supporting diverse voices.
The Passion Project understands the larger systemic inequalities that continue to limit access to the creative sector. Inspired by ME Awareness Month, this showcase acknowledges the challenges faced by those living with chronic illnesses such as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). For those artists living with these conditions, formats that require visual presence or sustained interaction—live-video, streams, or video calls—can demand energy, focus, and stamina beyond what is possible on a consistent basis. The design of the radio show removes some of those demands. It allows participation without being on screen and offers flexibility. Content can be accessed when it suits both artist and listener. In doing so, the showcase attempts to redefine our understanding of what presence and participation can look like in the context of the music industry.
Bringing together a talented array of musicians, producers and sound artists from all across the UK. Each person involved has a unique voice to share. The artists in this upcoming showcase include:
List of performances:
- Kaddish Monologue - Stephen Fruchtman
- The Sprig of Thyme - Thomas Preece
- Lost Cause - Melissa Pinsly
- Clean - Georgia Newman
- Weights - Anusha
- The Haunt - Whistling Swans
- This might hurt a little - Alber
- Scared for the Climate - Love, Builder of Worlds
The upcoming show will be available to stream on MixCloud on the 30th December 2025, and later on YouTube ensuring accessibility for all audiences. You can expect a fully immersive experience, one that invites you to tune in and connect with a community of music makers who are redefining what it means to create music in the modern world.
Transcripts are available on our Proton Drive or if you'd like to have them on your own computer, please email us at thepassionprojectorg@proton.me
