Emeli Sandé welcomes music funding win for Sunderland
Singer celebrates with the city as Year of Music gets underway
Music star Emeli Sandé added her voice to the celebrations in Sunderland after it was confirmed that the city has secured significant new funding from Arts Council England to support its vibrant and growing music scene.
The announcement came during Sandé’s emotional, sold-out show at The Fire Station, where she performed under her birth name, Adele Sandé, for the first time in 18 years.
The concert marked the official launch of Sunderland’s Year of Music 2025–2026 on Saturday night with another packed to the rafters gig from Franz Ferdinand keeping the momentum going on Wednesday.
“It's really fantastic to hear that Sunderland's bid for investment from Arts Council England was successful and that it's going to be funding a lot of music around the city,” she said. “It's going to be even more vibrant, even more full of creativity and talent.
“This investment is going to be funding so many different genres of music, from punk to jazz, to dance music, and it's going be delivered by working practitioners in the city already. So it's going to bring new work to Sunderland and it's just positive all around.”
Over 6,000 music lovers filled the city on the opening day of the Year of Music, with more than a dozen venues – including The Fire Station, The Independent, Pop Recs, Live Lounge, The Peacock, The Dun Cow, The Engine Room, The Saltgrass, The King’s Arms, Mexico 70, Gatsby and Washington Holy Trinity Church – buzzing with live performances, DJ sets, and pay-what-you-feel gigs across every genre.
Sandé, a long-time champion of music education and grassroots talent, described her return as deeply meaningful. “It feels like a homecoming,” she said. “Even when we came to the hotel last night, there was music going on and it just feels like Sunderland genuinely is a very creative, talented musical city.”
Michelle Daurat, who leads the Sunderland Music City initiative, said the Arts Council support was “another amazing moment for Sunderland’s music scene,” adding, “Arts Council England’s investment will help us provide a platform for the grassroots talent that Adele speaks so passionately about.”
The Year of Music builds on Sunderland’s official designation as a global Music City, awarded in January 2025 by the Music Cities Network. The honour places Sunderland alongside cities like Berlin, Manchester and Sydney, marking a bold new chapter in its creative future.
More details on the Arts Council England-funded programme will be announced in the coming weeks at musiccity.uk/year-of-music.