Jordan Stephens gets tattoo inked in support of UK grassroots youth music
- Text by Isaac Muk
- Photography by Youth Music (Courtesy of)
Rescue the Roots — It’s designed by his partner Mix’s Jade Thirlwall, and comes as part of Youth Music’s Rescue The Roots campaign, with the charity hoping to raise £1 million for young creatives and youth initiatives.
Jordan Stephens, author and one half of hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, has got a tattoo designed by his partner, Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall, inked to raise awareness for a new campaign to save UK grassroots music.
The tattoo, which says “Rescue The Roots” and was inked by artist Tianna Nicola Clarke, is the name of a new campaign by Youth Music. It was revealed in a promotional video that features a sound excerpt taken from his acceptance speech from the Youth Music Awards 2024, where he won the Grassroots Hero Award.
“Creativity is a human necessity / It’s essential / I can’t believe that the creative arts are underfunded by the government,” he said. “When I look around the real heroes in this community are the youth workers, the care workers, the teachers, the organisers.”
Read next: Jordan Stephens: “I don’t like using the term ‘Toxic Masculinity’ anymore”
The Rescue The Roots campaign was launched by Youth Music this week, with the charity hoping to raise £1 million to support grassroots music ventures aimed at young people in the UK. For each £1 raised up to that target figure, Youth Music will match £1, with the aim of handing out £2 million in total to youth organisations and young creatives.
According to the charity, 41% of grassroots music projects are currently at risk of closure without receiving imminent support, an increase of 17% from 2024. It comes amid a long pattern of decline for youth services. Last year, a UNISON report found that over two-thirds (1,243) of council-run youth clubs had closed down between 2010 and 2013.
Matt Griffiths, the CEO of Youth Music said: “The crisis facing grassroots youth music projects is at breaking point.
“The lack of funding available is at critically low levels and the threat of closure for many is more imminent than ever,” he continued. “We cannot overstate what the closure of these incredible community projects means to not only the young people that they support, but also to the UK economy as a whole.
“We’re not just asking for change — we’re making it happen. The time for action is now, and we urge you all to join us in safeguarding the future of UK music and making it more diverse, more accessible and more equitable for young people.”
Find out more about Rescue The Roots and support the initiative here.
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