The Making of Me Don't Skip

Kelli-Leigh started out her career on an upward trajectory, with big hits that you’ve probably heard on your party or gym playlists a number of times. However, after a car crash in 2012, the path of Kelli-Leigh’s life changed drastically, leaving her unable to walk and in a wheelchair mid-way through a tour with Jessie J.

As a self-confessed workaholic, this left her questioning everything she knew, including her body, her friends, medical advice and her career.

In this episode, hear Kelli-Leigh candidly discuss her life-changing injury, why she thanks her bed sheets every night, and the story of the performance that left her collapsed in the middle of Times Square.

Having grown up in Slovenia, July Jones holds the values of her culture and upbringing close to her heart. However by the age of 18, she had already travelled to multiple countries and spent a year living abroad in America, something that she now sees hugely shaped her as a person.

July sees herself as the black sheep of her family. Whilst her family members were working in economics and law, she was joining music school at the age of 6 and learning to play piano and the flute. From there she discovered her natural solo vocal ability and found her love of soul and jazz music.

In this episode learn about July’s coming out story, why moving to America opened her eyes to the LGBTQ+ community and sparked a passion for trans rights and the reason she decided to leave the Jazz and Soul industry behind her.

Tai Verdes has a determination and flair for creativity that you only see in someone at his level of a promising music career. On the surface, Tai happened upon viral success on TikTok with his song ‘Stuck In The Middle', which went on to achieve 62 million streams on Spotify. However, the journey to get there was filled with reality shows, stand up comedy and 6 months of daily vocal practice.

In this episode find out from Tai why he knew it was the right decision to drop out of university, the impact he thinks social media is having on the music industry, and how he learned to let go of his parents approval in order to achieve what he wants.

With a platinum selling song that has over 694 million hits on YouTube, JP Cooper came upon a viral success that many musicians only dream of. However, throughout his life and music career, JP has faced hardships that many of us will never have to.

He talks to us about how losing his mother at only 11 months old has affected him and how he manages the anxiety disorder that was triggered by his music career. In this episode, find out why JP Cooper loves being a dad, how gospel music saved him, and the record deal that helped turn his life around.

Winning The Voice at the age of just 18 means that Blessing Annatonia is already off to a promising start in her music career. Music has always been a central focus in Blessing’s life, from the age of 2 she was already obsessed with being in front of the camera and knew her voice was a gift.

Blessing talks to us about her relationship with her music and her faith, and how her religion has helped to keep her driven and focused amidst new found fame. She also reflects on the strong sense of community she has around her, both from her childhood in Zimbabwe, and her later life in England, and how that grounds and supports her.

In this episode find out how Blessing dealt with the racism she faced on social media after winning The Voice, why she values her friends so much, and why she continues to hold Zimbabwe so close to her heart.

For AJ Mitchell, building a music career was an obvious path for him. He wrote his first song at the age of 6 years old, and he grew up in a supportive family environment where his musical talents were encouraged to flourish throughout his school years.

For AJ, heading to LA was an obvious step in his music career. He talks to us about the bold decisions he made in regards to the people he was surrounding himself with, and why he chose to leave the influencer crowd to seek out an authentic career as a music artist.

In this episode, learn why AJ Mitchell thinks growing up in a small town shaped who he is, and why he is thankful for the time he had during the pandemic to slow down and reflect.