A Coventry grime artist has teamed up with high school students to produce a new single and music video.
Adam Hedge, who works under the alias ShadowCV, has worked with five pupils from Cardinal Newman School where he also studied as a teen.
The 26-year-old, from Coventry, started making music in 2015 following struggles in pursuing a career.
He said: “I was unemployed with no real passion or idea of what I wanted to with my life.
“Creating and releasing music quickly became my passion and I knew this was a career path I wanted to pursue.”
ShadowCV now has a YouTube channel with more than 4,000 subscribers and over one million views.
Coventry grime artist ShadowCV
He started volunteering as a mentor for Year 10 students at Cardinal Newman School two days a week, and was offered a job as a music mentor.
He said: “Seeing the constant news of knife crime and the tragic events that have occurred in my city through recent years is painful.
“I knew that I had to use my platform and music to try and make a change, as music had changed my life and helped me get on the right path.
“After working with many students and talking to them 1-2-1 about their anxieties and fears growing up in Coventry, I thought it would be a great idea to put together a song that really represents the feelings of myself and the students I work with and also to create something that resonates with the whole country.”
The students and ShadowCV have produced a track called Pray for Peace, which was released on June 5.
It features Year 10 students Tom O’Brien, Zandie Ndlovu, Keira Kabama and Maka Dodo, as well as Year 8 pupil Lee Masih.
Students Tom O’Brien, Zandie Ndlovu, Keira Kabama and Maka Dodo and Lee Masih with Adam Hedge aka ShadowCV
They performed the track in front of almost 1,000 people at their school awards evening.
Adam said: “I selected five students to be on the song, Zandie & Maka who sang the chorus then Keira,Tom and Lee who rapped the verses with me.
“None of the students had ever been to a recording studio before, or been involved in a music video, or performed to so many people. It was a great experience for them to be a part of the whole production.
“This project was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life, seeing my students grow in confidence and watching their musical abilities develop throughout the project has been amazing.”
Adam is hoping he can deliver similar projects in schools all over the UK to inspire the younger generation.
