Fort William singer swaps Lochaber for Los Angeles
A Highland singer is swapping Fort William for Los Angeles in a bid to make further inroads in the music industry.
Keir Gibson will be performing at the MUSEXPO Creative Summit 2022 in partnership with creative economy support network XpoNorth.
The annual global music business showcase is taking placing in Burbank, California, from Sunday March 20 to Wednesday March 23, with confirmed participation from music, media, technology and consumer brands from around the world. This will be its first in-person event since 2019. The 20-year-old artist will perform in front of representatives from some of the largest and most influential networks in the global music community as part of the official opening night reception at the legendary S.I.R studios in Hollywood - an event co-hosted by XpoNorth and A&R Worldwide.
Sean Cousins, also from the Highlands and Islands, has been managing Keir for the past four years, and built up a relationship with the XpoNorth team through regularly attending its annual conference.
He said: ‘XpoNorth has been a huge help to us. I have been living in Inverness since I was 12 and have always kept an eye on what it is doing. Its annual conference gives so much insight into the industry and is the only event this far north that opens so many doors for creatives.
‘It has been amazing at getting us connected to others in the industry.
‘Keir was the first artist I worked with. It was a new thing for both of us and it has been great to build things up together. MUSEXPO is a unique event in that it isn’t open to the public. It is an incredible chance for us to be in front of and network with record label executives and agencies.
‘This is a huge opportunity for us. Keir has built a base in the UK and we would love to try and open doors in America.’
Alex Smith of XpoNorth said: ‘Connecting regional talent with potential industry partners is a key part of XpoNorth’s work and MUSEXPO offers a fantastic platform for Keir and his team to access a cross-reach of leading music industry networks.
‘We have a long-standing relationship with conference producers, A&R Worldwide, and are delighted to have worked in partnership with them to deliver another high-level opportunity to connect regional businesses with the international marketplace.’