Ghanaian-British pop sensation Bree Runway is tackling stigma within the music industry and using it to fight against a much bigger cause: colourism. She’s using her celebrity status to empower Black women and bringing genre-bending musical styles more into the mainstream.

Denver-born star Billie Eilish has been serving up rich, textured songs from her bedroom since she was 15. Sampling a wide range of popular culture, referencing her acne scars, and singing acoustic ballads about killing her friends, Eilish is the YouTube-sprung Gen Z icon challenging the mainstream.

Unpredictable, undefinable, and always provocative, Tyler, the Creator has kept his audiences guessing and growing thanks to his emotionally open, genre-fluid, and highly visual approach. How has he survived past controversies and helped create a new agenda for masculinity in hip-hop culture?

The healing power of music is increasingly being explored in therapy circles, and a survey shows that Britons have found comfort and support through music during the difficulties of lockdown. With anxiety and other mental health issues on the rise, music offers a reliable and accessible relief.