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Laura Mvula appointed to PRS Members Council

By | Published on Monday 1 August 2022

PRS For Music

UK song rights collecting society PRS has announced that Laura Mvula has joined its Members Council. The new appointment has been made after Hannah Peel, who was one of four songwriters elected to the Council back in May, decided to stand down.

Commenting on her decision to that, Peel told the society’s President Michelle Escoffery in an interview for M Magazine: “I’m extremely grateful that members voted for me – I didn’t even expect to be in the top four that were nominated”.

“I’m a producer, I’m a composer and an artist”, she went on. “I’m a session musician, I’m an orchestral arranger, I’m a conductor, I’m a broadcaster. I’ve learnt in the last two years that there is only a certain amount that my brain can handle, and it’s come to a point where I have to start managing my own mental health a lot better and with a lot more care for myself, not just work. That’s incredibly important. I just don’t think I could do a good enough job for those who voted for me right now with that in mind”.

PRS issued a statement earlier today explaining how it had gone about filling the place on its Council left by Peel. “The process to fill casual vacancies is at the discretion of the Member’ Council”, it said. “The decision was made to invite all the candidates who stood for election at the 2022 AGM to be considered for the role”. That included Mvula.

“Of those that chose to stand and based on the collegiate voting system, Writer Council Members voted in a blind ballot”, the PRS statement continued. “The result was then ratified by the entire Members’ Council. Casual vacancies to the Members’ Council are appointed until the next AGM, when the role becomes vacant and is subject to a vote at the AGM”.

Commenting on her appointment to the Council, Mvula says, “Writing has always been part of my everyday life. Teaching, conducting, arranging, performing – each has taught me something about what it means to be a musician and songwriter. As a PRS Writer Council Member, it’s my desire to ensure music creators are given the support they need to navigate the ever-changing landscape”.

“I believe songwriters and composers should benefit from the structures and processes of which they are the foundation”, she adds. “I believe that representation truly matters. It can turn the tide in conversations and decision-making. As a writer, composer and recording artist but also, a black British woman with over ten years in the industry, there are countless experiences to which I can uniquely speak, and I look forward to bringing that to the table”.



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