Arlo Parks has been given a BBC Introducing accolade this year. BMI, international representatives and advocates for musicians, ‘proudly congratulates Arlo Parks, a singer-songwriter from South London, who has been awarded the 2020 BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Introducing Artist of the Year.’ BBC Introducing is the British Broadcasting Company’s platform to help emerging artists launch their career. Anyone can upload their music to the BBC Introducing website, some of which are selected for radio airplay on a platform which can get your music heard by a very large audience, especially for an emerging artist.
Arlo Parks announced the exiting news of her award to her fans on Instagram two days ago, stating that she remembers uploading her ‘DIY Soundcloud Demo’s to BBC Introducing,’ at the age of just 16. She went on to state that she hopes her story ‘acts as a reminder that beautiful, big dreams can and do come true.’ Parks, who is a Singer-Songwriter/Poet from South London, was in good company at this years awards with fellow Londoner ‘Celeste,’ picking up the award for Sound of 2020.
The BBC Introducing awards are an important reminder that, when given the right opportunities, anyone can make it in the music industry if they have enough talent. As Arlo Parks wishes for her audience, many are hopeful that seeing artists like her and Celeste breaking through and becoming successful will inspire more young musicians to follow their dreams and make the most what opportunities they can get their hands on, BBC Introducing being one of these.
Arlo Parks’ latest single ‘Green Eyes,’ came out just a few days before she received the award, the video for it premiering on Youtube on the 20th of October. The song has a laid back Rhythm and Blues vibe and blends smooth melody with lyrics laced with social commentary. The song talks about trusting ‘how you feel inside,’ and is critical of the judgemental nature of society and the difficulty people face when they find themselves existing outside of the ‘norm.’
The single comes in advance of Arlo Parks’ debut LP album which is available to pre-order in physical formats at various independent record stores, fans also have the option to pre-save the album on their preferred streaming platform if a physical copy is not for them. As well as writing her own songs, Parks is also known for her creative covers of songs some might not immediately expect from her. For example, in June this year she released on her Youtube channel a very stripped back, piano and vocal interpretations of Alternative Rock band Radiohead’s classic ‘Creep.’
Despite the ongoing coronavirus restrictions across the UK, Arlo Parks does have a tour planned in support of her upcoming album ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams,’ which covers a number of interesting venues across the country and commences in summer 2021. Full UK tour dates for Arlo Parks in 2021 are as follows:
12/05/2021 – Gorilla – Manchester
18/05 – The Mash House – Edinburgh
19/05 – Saint Luke’s – Glasgow
21/05 – Chalk – Brighton
25/05 – Hare & Hounds – Birmingham
26/05 – Belgrave Music Hall – Leeds
28/05 – Exhibition Park – Birmingham
29/05 – The Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
30/05 – Thekla – Bristol
