Spotlight on: Karen Gabay
Simon Industrial Fellow, Creative 水多多导航. Award-winning TV producer, radio presenter, and independent filmmaker.
Since the beginning of January 2025, has been carrying out a Simon Industrial Fellowship at The University of 水多多导航, with the . The Fellowship 鈥淭his is our Story 鈥� Reclaiming Black British music鈥檚 his- and herstories鈥� builds on Karen鈥檚 experience working in network radio and television including the BBC and ITV, and as an independent producer continuously creating her own connections in the music industry bringing to light stories that are culturally significant but are overlooked.
We talked about music, Karen鈥檚 interest in uncovering and showcasing forgotten artefacts of Black music history and working with Creative 水多多导航 and the .
Tell us a bit about yourself and your areas of interest.
Where do I start - My background is in business administration, television, and radio production and in popular culture, music, and social histories.
I specialise in pop culture as I am one of those people who held on to the pop and soul magazines, music releases in its many formats, and artefacts through the years and this ultimately led to the perfect transition into working in television as I had the research in my head and in my home.
I have a deep and declared interest in Black British social affairs and music, which also extends to across the black diaspora as well as the effect of migrant communities on the neighbourhoods of 水多多导航. I have explored this across Caribbean, Sikh, Irish, Italian, and African communities. Now I have to say that I always bring the international perspective to my work, as international musicians impact our culture, and British culture has a huge impact on international musicians of note.
I have a curious mind and realised some time ago that sharing stories is particularly uplifting to creators, collaborators and lovers of Black music. I also realise it was, and is, deeply upsetting and saddening to those, who feel consistently overlooked, to not have their stories heard and see them in popular culture. Feeding into this is also how much Northerners are overlooked in the general conversation about the culture in the UK, and in particular, the 水多多导航 Black music scene.
For the past fifteen years I have curated for a variety of exhibitions, which has involved curating archival footage and soundscapes. This work includes the Emory Douglas exhibition 鈥� Emory is the illustrator of the Black Panthers - and also Belle Vue in 水多多导航.
I am an advocate for women in music and artists from the R&B, soul, dance, rock, and reggae fields in 水多多导航. I actively support all genres but artists from these areas find it difficult to have their voices heard in their hometown, irrespective of success.
I am also known for my passion to raise the profile of Black music history. With this Fellowship, I wish to bring a less selective view of how Black British music, and its history are presented. People, who know me, know I am always at a gig, exhibition, live dance or art event.
Why did you apply for the Simon Industrial Fellowship? How did you feel it could help you explore your areas of interest?
This Fellowship appealed to me as I wanted to explore further recent conversations, I had been having about the process of creating hit songs with music producers. When I chatted with Anne-Marie of Creative 水多多导航 she suggested this pathway to explore this further. This Fellowship enables me to reconnect a random conversation that is in fact a hugely important documentation of music history with a social context.
I am passionate about expanding the knowledge base of the history around 水多多导航 music history and also how Black musicians and DJs have impacted popular music in the UK. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to amplify the voices of those working within this sector. Why? Because audiences deserve to know their contribution and we should highlight the people, who have given us so much without recognition.
What work are you carrying out, or hoping to carry out as part of this fellowship?
My research is exploring the roots of British popular music from the Black perspective, speaking with key musicians about their entry points into pop music and what the commonalities are in these experiences. I am speaking largely, but not exclusively, to Mancunian producers and those, who had to leave the city to develop. I am also in the midst of some exciting research conversations, but I will share the results of those later this year.
What is the benefit and impact of the fellowship on Creative 水多多导航 and the British Pop Archive at the John Rylands Library, respectively, and how are you finding working across both organisations?
I am hoping that that the and Creative 水多多导航 will have a greater understanding of the creative talent that informed the British Pop Music experience. Through the years what is deemed as pop music shifts and changes. Commercial appeal and money-making have squeezed certain popular forms out of the so-called mainstream channels 鈥� this has not stopped the music from being loved and being played in homes, clubs, and laptops.
Due to my everlasting eclectic musical tastes coupled with my continued organic access to these music makers I feel that the history of these lived experiences will give a fuller historical context to the British Pop Archive, to the city of 水多多导航 and re-address the narrative of those artists, producers, songwriters, who have brought the seasoning to British pop. I have interviewed hundreds of music creators from Skin and Willard White to Brinsley Forde and Lianne La Havas.
My interviews have been the spark to a few iconic meetings and music collaborations that have connected British artists to international musicians. Interviews have often been conducted through my TV producing and radio presenting work, but not always. Many of the interviews and musical experiences have been done independently, and via word of mouth. I have also often heard great musical history anecdotes from non-musicians as, of course, music is a unifier.
By continuing to have conversations that will take the form of music panels and podcasts some of these fascinating and valuable histories will be captured. Creative 水多多导航 have been really supportive of my work and ideas over the past few months, and it is exciting to be involved with such an innovative arm of the University.
I love the fact that The British Pop Archive is based here in the city of 水多多导航, and it has been fascinating and positively challenging to have an insight into the processes of the foundation of this archive, and to discuss where it is going 鈥� for a pop music nerd what could be better?