Exclusive: SXSW London Head of Music Adem Holness on Elevating With 2026 Edition

SXSW London has officially kicked off, transforming Shoreditch into a buzzing hub of music, culture, innovation, and creativity.

At the heart of the festival’s expansive music offering is Adem Holness, Head of Music at SXSW London, who has helped shape a programme designed to spotlight emerging talent, global scenes, and the real-world communities driving music forward.

With this year’s lineup spotlighting acts such as Tiwa Savage, ODUMODUBLVCK, and DJ AG, it’s proving to be a magnetic destination for music and culture.

That Grape Juice caught up with Holness amid the festival’s launch to discuss the vision behind this year’s event, the thrill of discovery, and why SXSW London is offering an experience that no playlist or algorithm can replicate.

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That Grape Juice (Sam): For people meeting you for the first time, how would you describe what you do in music?

Adem Holness: I am the Head of Music at SXSW London, which means I am responsible for curating and overseeing all the music content for the festival. This includes the performing artists, showcases, music conference sessions, networking events, meetups, and mixers.

The guiding principle for my work is a deep interest in helping artists and creative people realize their own ambitions and making things happen that might not otherwise be possible, whether that is a first-time show, a new partnership, or reaching a new market. Throughout my career, I have always been most interested in working with creatives from backgrounds that have historically had less infrastructure around them to facilitate those goals.

That Grape Juice: You’ve spent years championing emerging artists and new scenes. What keeps you excited about discovery?

Adem Holness: It is the genuine thrill of discovering something brand new, like seeing an amazing band play live for the first time or hearing a sound that is unlike anything else.

I remember the first time I heard electronic music from the SWANA region fused with traditional sounds and thinking it was like nothing I’d ever heard before. I had a similar experience seeing Infinity Song play at Glastonbury last year. The energy they had on stage was just incredible. That excitement you get from something fresh is what keeps me going.

That Grape Juice: What was the big idea behind this year’s SXSW London music programme?

Adem Holness: SXSW is a showcase festival and a marketplace designed to bring the creative industries together and connect artists with professionals to do better business.

However, I find it boring to just have artists on their own without context. What makes them exciting is the world they inhabit. Because I was born and raised in London, I love how you can step out of any tube station and find yourself in a distinct community.

We wanted to recreate that feeling by turning different venues in Shoreditch into distinct hubs. We worked with co-curators, DIY platforms, media organizations, and record labels to present the future of music from their own unique perspectives. As people traverse the festival, they get a deep insight into different global underground scenes and the people pioneering them.

That Grape Juice: You’ve spoken about the importance of real-world music communities. Why does that matter more than ever right now?

Adem Holness: While the internet is a great tool, it often means people experience culture in isolation, scrolling through a phone and navigating an algorithm.

There is simply nothing like a shared experience: being in a room with other independently minded people discovering and creating music moments together. I have felt isolated at times in my own life and was thankful for the community that caught me. I hope our platform can hold those people and communities in a way that makes them feel supported while they drive things forward together.

That Grape Juice: SXSW London feels incredibly global this year. What were you looking for when building the lineup?

Adem Holness: We were looking for partners and showcases that are genuinely embedded in and pioneering new music scenes. It wasn’t just about a platform picking the “most exciting” artists from a region.

For example, we have an underground radio station from Seoul that is disrupting the scene and bringing the artists they are currently developing. We wanted to offer a detailed, global insight that a standard “top 20” playlist simply cannot provide.

That Grape Juice: What artists or scenes do you think people should be paying closer attention to right now?

Adem Holness: I am incredibly proud of the second edition of the Caribbean Music House, which we are doing in collaboration with Notting Hill Carnival. It’s emblematic of what makes London such an exciting cultural place.

We have Latino Life, the UK’s largest Latin music festival, opening on Tuesday, and platforms like Deadly and the label Get Ahead Youth International, founded by the Marley family, curating other days. There is no other international showcase festival in the UK that platforms Caribbean music at this scale. We’ve already seen success here; last year, two acts from the Caribbean Music House went on to be nominated for Grammys.

That Grape Juice: With so much music being consumed online, what can a festival like SXSW London offer that a playlist can’t?

Adem Holness: We offer a real-life human experience that an algorithm cannot replicate. Our showcases are presented by people who are driving these scenes, providing a much deeper insight than a digital list.

By stepping away from screens, people get to experience music in real life, presented just for them. We’ve seen artists from our lineups go on to be signed to major independent labels like Hospital Records or get playlisted on BBC Dance. It’s about that potential for real-world impact.

That Grape Juice: When the festival wraps, what’s the one thing you hope artists and audiences take away from it?

Adem Holness: Immediately after, I want people to feel excited by the new music they’ve discovered, or by hearing new material from artists they already recognize, like Tiwa Savage or Odumodublvck.

But looking further ahead, six months or a year later, I hope that when they see these artists or scenes proliferating into the wider culture, they can tie it back to a moment with us and say, “That’s where I heard it first.”

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SXSW London is set to bring together artists, audiences, and industry voices for a must-see celebration of what is next in music. For tickets and more information, visit the official SXSW London website.