British rapper and entrepreneur Tinie Tempah has warned that the UK music industry risks losing its cultural identity if working-class creatives continue to be pushed out of the system.

Speaking on the red carpet at the Ivor Novello Awards alongside rising singer Skye Newman, Tinie opened up about the growing struggles facing artists from less privileged backgrounds especially as smaller music venues continue to disappear.

“If you don’t have different scenes coming from different parts of the country, then the industry stops being representative,” Tinie explained.

The “Pass Out” hitmaker stressed that underground venues have always been the foundation of the UK’s biggest music movements, from grime to indie and drill. According to him, these smaller spaces allow artists to experiment, fail, improve and truly grow before stepping onto bigger stages.

“These venues are where artists do their 10,000 hours,” he said. “You make mistakes, forget lyrics, get booed, get cheered that’s the training ground. Without that, a lot of artists may never fully develop.”

Tinie, who has recently supported the Save Our Scene campaign, believes the decline of grassroots venues is hurting the UK’s ability to produce fresh cultural movements that once dominated globally.

“Every decade, the UK brings a new underground sound to the forefront. Right now, we’re lacking that,” he added.

Singer-songwriter Skye Newman also shared her reality as someone who grew up on council estates in South East London. According to her, talent alone is no longer enough to survive in today’s music business.

“A lot of people don’t realise how expensive music is,” Skye said. “It takes money, a team, resources and for working-class artists, that makes things ten times harder.”

She called for more programmes and investment targeted at discovering talent in underrepresented communities.

“There’s so much talent in places where people are struggling, but they don’t get the same opportunities,” she explained. “Music changed my life, and there should be more support systems to help others experience that too.”

The conversation has once again highlighted growing concerns around accessibility in the entertainment industry, with many creatives arguing that the next generation of stars could be overlooked simply because they can’t afford the cost of entry.

As conversations around representation continue, artists like Tinie Tempah and Skye Newman are reminding the industry that culture has always come from the grassroots not the boardrooms.