As lockdowns return and Europe confronts the second wave of Covid-19, some of Birmingham's biggest and most respected artists come together to release a music track which raises awareness of the disproportionate impact of the Covid-19 on Black and Asian communities.

 

The ‘Hidden Hands’ track features a number of leading singers and stellar musicians; from Grammy-award winning Selwyn Brown (Steel Pulse), to chart-topping Errol Reed (China Black), and one of the most prominent Bhangra vocalists in the UK, Shin (DCS), to young up-and-coming Janel Antoneshia.

 

Conceived and directed by Mukhtar Dar on behalf of the Simmer Down Festival, Hidden Hands is part of a music project funded by the Arts Council England, Emergency Fund. 

 

Mukhtar said:“This project came out of a traumatic set of personal circumstances which have been echoed by many others in our communities. Within a week of the UK national lock-down, my father lost his sight and his hearing; he couldn’t walk and was rushed into hospital. We couldn’t visit him, he couldn’t call us and we lost all contact with him. At the same time, my sister in-law’s father died in the back of an ambulance, she is a doctor and her father was a doctor – he died from Covid-19.” 

 

Selwyn Brown from Steel Pulse said:“During the lock-down my family members put their own personal safety at risk, working in challenging circumstances to support all of us and so for me this was an opportunity to highlight their sacrifice and say thank you to all the key workers and to the NHS frontline staff”

 

Councillor Paulette Hamilton, who part of The West Midlands Enquiry into COVID-19 Fatalities in the Black and Asian Community said:“It speaks truthfully to power without compromise and has the potential to reach people that we as politicians can’t.”

Hidden Hands’ official release is on November 13 for download.