THE world famous music school that counts Amy Winehouse, Adele and the actor Tom Holland as alumni has chosen Yorkshire as the site for its new northern headquarters.

The world's biggest record labels are planning to build a specialist creative school that aims to nurture the next generation of international music stars.

The BRIT school will be the first site outside of London and the south-east funded by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

York Press:

Amy Winehouse: one of the alumni of the original BRIT Music School

Bradford has been chosen for a proposed 16 to 19 college to “level up creative opportunity” across West Yorkshire.

Provisionally named BRIT School North, it will focus on the performing arts and digital design, with backing from the world’s biggest music labels, Sony, Warner and Universal, providing additional funding for state of the art equipment.

Bradford has a strong track record of musical talent including Kiki Dee, Gareth Gates, Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction, and Kimberley Walsh.

The centre will also be able to call on world-beating industry expertise and contacts.

A BPI spokesperson said it had “long been the ambition” to create a specialist creative school outside London and the south east to make the industry “more inclusive and accessible for all, regardless of background”.

Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, said the choice of Bradford for the school, coupled with its selection as UK City of Culture 2025, showed that the area was “the place to be when it comes to culture and creativity”.

She told The Times: “With vibrant musical venues in abundance, and even more in the pipeline, our region is well and truly cementing its place on the world stage as a creative and cultural hotspot. With EMI North recently making the decision to invest in West Yorkshire, it goes to show that we’re already punching well above our cultural weight.”

If the application for Government funding is successful the BPI said the school could open as soon as 2026.

A final decision is expected later this year.

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