The Songs Behind: Next Up North
Discover the songs that shaped and inspired Sinead Campbell, Dee Rae, Zara Smile and Lucas Assagba, the 2025 Class of Come Play With Me Records' Next Up North programme
Photo Credit: Matt Hass
Next Up North is a groundbreaking artist development programme from Come Play With Me Records, supporting artists of marginalised genders and sexualities in the North of England. After supporting the Class of 2025: Sinead Campbell, Dee Rae, Zara Smile, and Lucas Assagba, through a range of projects throughout 2025, the initiative is celebrating its debut compilation release, Next Up North: Class of 2025, which came out on August 8th.
Recorded at Leeds’ Eiger Studios, the 4-track vinyl is a striking showcase of this year’s supported artists, each track brimming with personality, raw emotion, and a strong sense of identity. From the empowering reclamations of Campbell’s ‘Brown Eyed Soul’ and the dreamy indie-folk reflections of Rae’s ‘Strange Thing’, to Smile’s string-laced anthem ‘Fight Back’ and Assagba’s cathartic alt-rock cut ‘Comet’, it’s a record that amplifies voices and stories too often left unheard.
To celebrate the release of this debut compilation, I am joined by the full Next Up North Class of 2025 to hear about their journey with the programme, and to discover the songs that shaped them through my 'Songs Behind' feature.
Can you introduce yourself as an artist and tell us about the song Next Up North has supported?
Sinead Campbell (S): "Hey, I’m Sinead Campbell - soul singer, songwriter, and creative from the North. My music weaves identity, healing and empowerment - and Next Up North supported the live version of my track Brown-Eyed Soul. It’s a tune that celebrates softness and power as a mixed race woman, and being able to capture it live, in community, meant a lot."
Dee Rae (D): "I'm Dee Rae, a Manchester-based indie/alternative artist. The Next Up North Programme has helped me to distribute and promote my debut 4 track EP 'The Worst Is Over'."
Zara Smile (Z): “ Hiya! I’m Zara Smile, I’m an alternative folk artist based in the North West! Next up North have helped with my latest 3 singles, Misplaced, Fight Back and Rewind."
Lucas Assagba (L): “ Hi! I’m Lucas Assagba and I’m an alternative artist from Bradford. My song Comet is on the Next Up North Class of 2025 vinyl."
How important has Next Up North been for you as an artist, particularly with their focus on supporting artists of marginalised genders and sexualities in the North of England?
S: “Honestly, it’s been such a breath of fresh air. A lot of music support up North doesn’t always reach those of us who sit outside the mainstream. Next Up North felt different. Real care and a sense of 'you belong here'".
D: “Working with Come Play With Me on their Next Up North Programme has been invaluable to me. I feel like I met the team at CPWM at a crucial time in my career and everything slotted in nicely. They are some of the most down to earth people I have met in this industry which can often feel quite harsh and fickle and so many of their values around art and community align so closely with mine. I'm so proud to have been a part of their roster the past few months."
Z: “Next up North has been life changing! Having the support and backing that the label have given us, as well as super cool opportunities (like the vinyl how cool is that!), and on a more personal note they’ve helped me so much with my confidence in music. Its crazy that I’ve gone from writing a song about how I refuse to ‘fight back’ against imposter syndrome, to being able to release the song under such a cool opportunity."
L: “Next Up North has been super important for me because of how extensive Come Play With Me’s been with their support. I’ve not been putting out music for long, so Next Up North has done a great job at demystifying the industry and helping me understand a lot of the key processes. I’ve felt really supported and nurtured!"
The Next Up North: Class of 2025 compilation will feature a live versions of your song. How do you feel the live version differs form the original?
S: “It’s warmer, more raw, more human. You can feel the little moments - the breath, the harmonies, the musicians reacting in the moment. I love the studio version, but the live take feels like you’re right there in the room with us.”
D: “The live version of my track 'Strange Thing' feels like a real snapshot in time. My current band and I had only been playing together for about 5 days at the time of recording and I'm so proud of how well we managed to pull the live session off!"
Z: “It’s definitely a little different! The studio version has strings in it, and a couple more of me singing! I think the live version has a completely different feel though, it was so amazing being able to record it live with the band and you can really tell how we’re interacting with each other in the session! It’s a little bit more raw, a bit angrier if you will too!!"
L: “Comet is a really dense song. It took three years to write and produce, and there are a million and one different elements at play. For the live version, I wanted to strip it down to the bare elements, so it just features me and a guitar. It was really interesting experimenting with the composition to highlight the songwriting, and I hope it hits just as hard as the original."
What can we expect from you in the coming months?
S: “The Sankofa EP is landing - finally! It’s full of soul, stories, and healing. You’ll also see me performing more, sharing behind-the-scenes bits, and dropping a few offerings that blend music with wellness. It’s a big season of expansion - I’m stepping into my full self and taking the music with me."
D: “My debut EP 'The Worst Is Over' is coming out 10th September and I'm hopefully going to be playing a lot more live shows coming up..."
Z: “ My single ‘Rewind’ is out on the 14th August, and we’re having a big celebration at the Jacaranda in Liverpool for it! After this, I’m finishing up my UK tour, and then taking a bit of a break to write some more, but I want to do some fun little community projects while I’m creating!"
L: “In the coming months, I’ll be releasing two more songs with Next Up North. They’re super different from Comet and each other, and I’m really excited to explore new sounds and play them live."
Favourite Song to Play Live:
S: “Right now? 'Stand'. It’s got this fearless energy - we tend to play it last in the set. The audience always feels it and participates in the call and response section. It’s ancestral, it’s bold, and it reminds me why I do this.”
D: “ I usually end my sets with my single 'Purple and Red'- it feels like my most mature and grounded song that I've written to date."
Z: “I love playing all my songs live honestly!! They all bring such a different vibe and as much as I love dancing around during 'Misplaced', I also love connecting with my neurodivergent audience during 'Typical' and being able to scream a bit during 'Fight Back'!"
L: “Of all my songs, I love playing 'Charmer' live the most. It’s super fun transitioning between playing guitar and drums during a set, and it always feel really cathartic to hear it all break down."
Song That Reminds You of Your Childhood:
S: “Eternal's - 'I Wanna Be The Only One'. This is something my Mum used to play and feels very nostalgic.!
D: “'Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk' by Rufus Wainwright reminds me of Sunday mornings and the sound of my mum doing the vacuuming. I grew up listening to amazing music. Lots of Nick Drake, Aimee Man, Dixie Chicks, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, Nerina Pallot and lots of more trad folk as well which has all hugely influenced me as a songwriter."
Z: “This is a rogue one, but ‘Call me Maybe’ Carly Rae Jepsen! I was OBSESSED with the song when it first came out, and I have such a distinct memory of getting the ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ CD with it on for my birthday because my sister (who was probably 5/6 at the time?) kept whispering to me ‘you’re getting the call me maybe CD for your birthday’ and none of us had any idea what it meant!"
L: “One of my earliest memories is listening to 'Hey Ya!' by Outkast on repeat! Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is one of my favourite albums to this day, and every time I hear it, it’s like I’m two years old again and I’m rediscovering my love of music.
First Album You Brought:
S: “I used to buy compilations of a child, I used to enjoy having many artists on one album. It was probably one of the ’Now’ albums."
D: “Either has to be Olly Murs (Self Titled) or Jessie J 'Who You Are'- both iconic and equally as formative to Dee Rae as a project haha. I think these two artists are the root of all campness within me."
Z: “I did love the ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ CDs as a kid, bring back compilation albums! I loved hearing a bunch of different Top 40 tracks in one CD! I also arew up with my dad’s music, German Punk, so a lot of the tracks from there really inspired me growing up!"
L: “I grew up just as physical music was going out of fashion! I remember the first album I heard in full was 'After Laughter' by Paramore, but I think the first album I bought was 'Can’t Slow Down' by Lionel Richie."
Song That Made You Want to Be a Musician:
S: “Musical cartoons I used to watch as child, in particular Barbie and the Rockers. I used to watch this over and over again. There’s still an online fanbase for its soundtrack which was epic and typically 80s."
D: “KT Tunstall was hugely formative to me as a young singer songwriter - I used to play covers of her songs endlessly in the mirror when I got my first acoustic guitar and would watch her Jools Holland loop pedal performance most days when I got home from school. I think she's really cool."
Z: “The reason I started piano, my first instrument, is because I wanted to be able to play Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ (can confirm, I can play it now!) From there, it was a singing background in theatre that taught me to belt, learning guitar in lockdown and starting to write from the age of 7."
L: “There are so many songs and moments that made me want to be a musician, but the one that tipped me over the edge was Rag ’n’ Bone Man and Jorja Smith’s performance of Skin at the 2018 Brit Awards. I think I rewatch it twice a week, it’s so electrifying."
Song That Gets You Through Hard Times:
S: “I like to listen to Chase and Status - No Problem, whenever I’m feeling stressed and want to let go of it.
Z: “That’s a tricky one! I could give you an entire playlist right now! I have really been loving ‘Salad’ by Blondshell recently, they capture the intense anger that helps me through being frustrated. I remember being at the airport and being super stressed coming back from Berlin, and I kept thinking ‘all I’ve gotta do is get through security and then I can listen to Salad!’"
L: “Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation by Jasmine.4.t is a recent favourite that’s gotten me through some really hard times. I really admire how she took such a dark period of her life and made it into something incredible."
A Song You Would Have Loved to Write:
S: “Kate Bush - This Woman’s Work’"
Z: “I would have loved to write ‘Amelia’ by Joni Mitchell, it’s just such a gorgeous song. Also ‘Coolest Fucking Bitch in Town’ by Haley Blais is just SUCH a good song, the lyrics are amazing and the production is incredible."
L: “I wish I wrote Ribbons by Ryan Beatty. Calico is one of the most beautiful albums I’ve ever heard, and I just adore how lush and subdued the whole project is."
Song You'd Put On at a Party:
S: “Oh that’s easy - 'Candy' by Cameo."
Z: “I always love to put on 2000s throwback bangers! Current favourite is American Boy!"
L: “If I was given the aux at a party, I’d probably play something from Renaissance by Beyonce. America Has A Problem and Cozy are my top picks!"
Favourite Song of All Time:
S: “Impossible question to answer for me, I love so many and so many different genres. I have a really varied music taste."
Z: “Ooo that is such a tough question! Again, I could give you an entire playlist right off the bat (of which there is one on my Spotify!) A current favourite (although this will change in literally the next 10 minutes) is Laughing Song by Black Country, New Road. I first heard the live album from Bush Hall, and absolutely fell in love with all the songs but Laughing Song might be my favourite of all time."
L: “My answer to this question changes every day, but for now my favourite song of all time is Spring by Angel Olsen. John Congleton is one of my favourite producers, and his partnership with Angel Olsen was such a dream. She’s a beautifully delicate songwriter and I’m always in awe of her."
Song You are Most Proud Of:
S: “‘My World’. I wrote it during a time when I was learning to slow down and actually listen to myself. A reminder that rest is radical. People seem to really resonate with its message. I also really appreciate ‘Stand’ for its message of freedom."
Z: “I think of all my songs equally (they’re like my children!), they’re all so different and unique and special and came at different points of my life. My top two, if I had to choose, at the moment are 'Fight Back' and 'Rewind'. 'Fight Back' came at a time where I just wanted to quit everything and run away, I had such bad imposter syndrome and truly felt like I couldn’t carry on anymore at all, and 'Rewind' is kind of the antithesis to this, it was getting through big feelings and realising that everything would be okay, and learning to enjoy the journey of the feelings rather than race to get to the end of them!"
L: “The song I’m most proud of is 'Nosebleeds', my second release with Next Up North. I tend to sit on songs for ages before I work on them, but I wrote and produced Nosebleeds four days before the deadline, so it still feels like a new presence in my life. It marks the end of a really awful period for me, and I’m really proud of how raw and cathartic it is. I can’t wait for people to get to know it at the same time I do."
