LCCM’s Dr Mathew Knowles features on ITV’s This Morning
On Monday 20 February, London College of Contemporary Music’s Visiting Lecturer, Dr Mathew Knowles, took to ITV’s This Morning’s sofa to promote his work with LCCM and the Scholarship Competition the college runs in his name.
Speaking to presenters Craig Doyle and Josie Gibson, Dr Knowles said that he was on a mission to inspire talent in the UK. With 22 years’ experience in academia in the United States, the father and former manager of Beyoncé and Solange, said he was inspired to join the team at LCCM because of the amazing undergraduates and graduate programmes in music production, music performance and the business side.
Dr Knowles highlighted the number of Grammys that his family and proteges had accumulated with Beyonce (32), Destiny’s Child (6) Solange (1) and LeAndria Johnson (1), racking up an incredible 40 before you even mention his son-in-law Jay-Z (24) and grand-daughter Blue Ivy (1). He said that it was a privilege to give back to potential musicians, share his knowledge and even his mistakes.
Josie Gibson asked Dr Knowles about his scholarship at LCCM, the 180 students who applied for it and what stood out for him about 2023 Scholarship winner, composer and pianist anMari (Anna Prasek, from Poland). Dr Knowles said that anMari was very different to the other students, confidently manipulating the piano strings at the start of her song to create a unique sound. He also said that she had a real soulful voice and a great look, which is important nowadays.
Dr Knowles, however, highlighted that just one per cent of people in the music industry achieve mainstream success, and that number is similar to people trying to break into elite sport.
The 2024 Mathew Knowles Scholarship Competition will kick off in May 2024 ahead of the grand finale judged by Dr Knowles and a panel of industry experts in September.
