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The Five Valleys that surround Stroud, with their swoops and pockets of greenery, give the area a mystical quality. On the edge of the Cotswolds, it’s a dramatic landscape that has inspired generations of creatives who have stayed at Hawkwood College.
NME has headed up these green Gloucester hills for the second year in a row to meet up with Saffron, a non-profit organisation aiming to advance gender equality in the music tech sector, as they host their annual five-day creative retreat as part of ‘Emerging’ – an artist development programme that supports Black music creators who are also women, non-binary, trans or gender non-conforming people.
The artist programme, supported by viagogo and funded by PRS Foundation, in the hope of reshaping the music industry into a more inclusive and equitable space, aims to provide crucial resources to the next generation of exciting artists, such as Saffron alumni: Marla Kether (bassist for Little Simz and Loyle Carner) who participated in the retreat in 2021.
This year’s cohort is comprised of SoulBee, who forges a unique fusion of dub, reggae and neo-soul, rooted in the gospel they grew up singing at church; Laura Dia, whose brand of alternative R&B takes inspiration from her West African heritage; Sisanda, whose work blends ‘90s South African house music with jazz; and Tja, who tells NME that her previous music was heavily inspired by Bristol’s drum and bass scene, but after the retreat, she’s stepped into her production journey and is ready to expand her sonic palette. “This has been the safest space to experiment to feel confident enough to do something a little bit different,” she says.
Part of that has to do with the connection to nature, which has existed as Hawkwood’s ethos since 1948, and has proved valuable for the thousands of artists who have sought creative refuge within its stone walls. “Sometimes, as an artist, you can get stuck or you’re not sure about your next step,” Hawkwood’s Chief Executive Officer Alicia Carey tells NME as we arrive there on a drizzly Friday morning. “Just stepping outside the door into a really lovely, beautiful environment can inspire you anyway.”
The importance of opportunity
Tja’s words also highlight the way programmer and guest artist Pops Roberts meticulously curates workshops and guest speakers to meet the needs of the artists attending. “We are providing a program that gives them an idea of all the facets of the industry,” she tells us. “I think a lot of musicians don’t know much about publishing, radio, branding or marketing, so it’s important to speak to somebody who has great experience in them.”
Workshops this time around included beats production with electronic musician and producer Ikonika, writing to screen with German composer Afrodeutsche, a talk on setting intentions and artist identity with DJ Ruby Savage, “the art of collaboration” with DJ and producer Karen Nyame KG and an insight into publishing with music publisher Cavendish.
Providing emerging artists with practical skills is part of Saffron’s mission to address the extreme gender inequality in music tech – a sector made up of less than five per cent women, non-binary or trans people. Within that, less than one per cent are women of colour.
The current climate is challenging
In the past 12 months, the importance of Saffron’s work has become even more obvious. Last year’s retreat came a month after the Women And Equalities Committee (WEC) issued their Misogyny In Music report, aiming to improve gender equality in the music industry. Hopes that the findings would deliver lasting change in UK music, though, were quickly dashed when, in April, the Department Of Culture, Media And Sport confirmed they wouldn’t be taking any of the report’s recommended actions to improve working conditions.
It’s why Saffron founder Laura Lewis-Paul sees their mission as more vital than ever. “It’s about creating safety and belonging,” she explains. “We’re giving artists the feeling that they can be free, they can breathe, they can create. That’s what we want for all of our community.”
Crucial in fostering that sense of belonging is the retreat, which Lewis-Paul says exists as the 12-month programme’s “most deepening, connecting creative moment.” That connection is integral to the community Saffron has been building since 2015. “Each year we are supporting and developing more people, so eventually there will be those established artists that are then able to support the next generation that are coming through,” she says.
Leena Zhane – a participant in 2024’s program who has returned this year as Project Assistant – is a good example. “I’m incredibly honoured to be invited back,” they tell NME. Their role came about following feedback they gave after attending the retreat themself. “Everything was amazing, but I just felt like it’s such a big psychological transition as a person, as an artist, to take yourself out of your usual environment. It can be quite hard to get out of your shell, so I think having me here has kind of helped to bridge that gap,” they say.
Alongside Roberts, they’ve worked to support the artists as they undergo the vulnerable process of opening up throughout the retreat. This, they tell us, has illuminated the impact Saffron has had on them. “I really notice the growth that I’ve had in just a year from being with Saffron. Being back here I’m realising I really have changed, and a lot of the things I learn here have stayed with me this whole time,” they explain.
Creative communities are all-important
And, as we speak to the 2025 cohort on their final day, the payoff is palpable, with each of the attendees having taken something different from the experience. Bee was beginning to have doubts about pursuing music at all, so the retreat came just at the right time. “Just being around people who validate the fact that being an artist is something important and worth investing in has been really, really healing,’ they explain.
Sisanda says it’s the sense of “creative community” that will leave a lasting impact. “We do a lot of our work in isolation by virtue of writing,” she says. “It’s so important to just be around other creative people who look like you and who understand how your mind operates.”
Revelling in the stillness of Hawkwood, even for a few hours, shows the need for initiatives like Saffron’s ‘Emerging’ programme in providing our next generation of creatives with space, time and encouragement to make their best work. Sadly, it also highlights the scarcity of opportunity – something Roberts is reflecting on as the retreat comes to a close. “We are deep in an era where you are constantly being pressured into producing things and as artists, we have to become our brand.
“But, here, we can explore our relationship with sound. This magical thing has happened – music has called us and we’ve answered the call,” she says. “We’re here just enjoying it for what it is and our relationship with it rather than worrying all the time about the product we need to sell.”