FKA twigs announced as official patron of Saffron

Following on from Saffron’s Radio 1 Culture Champion Award, we are proud to announce FKA twigs as our first-ever Patron, marking the beginning of a powerful new partnership.

In a statement addressing the Saffron community, FKA twigs said: “This is very important to me. I’ve spent many years in recording spaces with no representation for people of colour, non-binary people, trans people, women – and I think my journey would have been so much easier…if I had seen more people that looked like me and were from the same communities that I’m from.

“I’m here to support. I’m here to carry the message, and I think that me and Saffron are going to be doing some amazing work in the next year.”

Shocking stats lie behind the music we consume today; 95% of professional music producers and engineers are men, and less than 1% of those are Black and Brown. There are countless people with unique talent and stories to tell, who have never been given access, encouragement, or a sense of belonging in the spaces where culture is made.

Founded in Bristol, UK, in 2015, Saffron is transforming who gets to create, produce and shape music, using technology as their tool. Through training, mentoring, and industry partnerships, Saffron opens the door for more women, non-binary and trans people to participate in music tech.

FKA twigs has given a gift to Saffron to support its music tech programmes over the coming year, particularly working with communities in Bristol and London. Her donation and her voice gives strength to Saffron’s mission. 

We believe the next generation of music producers, engineers and sonic innovators should reflect the diversity of the world we live in.