Little Simz, Jorja Smith and more to deliver performance in tribute to Jamal Edwards

Little Simz, Jorja Smith, Mahalia and Max Cyrus are set to take part in a special performance in honour of the late Jamal Edwards.

• READ MORE: RIP Jamal Edwards, an inspiration who turned SBTV into a Black British cultural dynasty

On November 7 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the all-star cast will pay tribute to influential late entrepreneur Edwards as part of the Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS).

According to a press release, each of the four artists “will each pay their own personal tribute to him with their performances. This will be a collective moment to celebrate Jamal, one of the industry’s most loved figures, and all of his achievements, the music careers he shaped and most importantly, the many lives he touched.”

Mahalia said: “The first time I met Jamal, I was 12 in a field at Bestival. At first, he kind of looked at me like I was crazy and then he smiled and said “go on, then.” A year later, he put me on SBTV for my first official online performance. He was one of the first people to truly believe in me and give me a platform and I will always feel somehow indebted to him for that. His impact on popular music and where the industry is today really can’t be overstated. Love you forever, Jam.”

Jamal Edwards pictured in 2019. CREDIT: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Fashion For Relief

SBTV founder and DJ Edwards died in Acton, west London on February 20. He was 31 years old. In August, a coroner ruled that his death was a result of a cardiac arrest due to taking cocaine.

An NME obituary to the influential music industry figure said: “He achieved accolades only the greatest ever get to touch in such a short lifespan, and he changed the course of UK music forever. He lived by his own words, and was an inspirational pioneer who will never be forgotten. Jamal Edwards will be in history books.

“A tweet of his that is circulating right now sums up him and his legacy up the best: ‘We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.’”

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