Victoria Jane, known for her popular show Future Soul on BBC1 speaks the Mirror about how the music industry should be supporting emerging artists and talent in light of her show being cancelled
BBC Radio 1 show host Victoria Jane took the broadcasting world by storm when she started her music show Future Soul in 2021. The show paid homage to R&B music and Jazz and featured interviews with artists, producers, and DJs such as rising girl band FLO, singer Kehlani, and hitmaker and former Nickelodeon star Leon Thomas.
However, in a sad turn of events, the 25-year-old announced that the show was coming to an abrupt end. In a statement, she told her Instagram followers that Future Soul had been her “life and dream”.
“Two months ago I walked into a meeting so full of positivity and ideas for the show this year and walked out of that meeting crying my eyes out, feeling so lost. I’ve cried so many times and been through every emotion you could think of since being told the news,” Victoria started.
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“This show has not only been my life but my dream. For four years I’ve provided a space on Future Soul for artists, producers & songwriters to be seen and heard and that’s something I cherished with every single pre-record. I’m sad to say bye & moreover I’m disappointed, especially as R&B / Soul is finally starting to be appreciated more here in the UK and on a wider scale,” she added.
Victoria closed her statement by thanking her production team, the BBC and artists she was able to spotlight. But as a new DJ in the music industry and a key force giving new musicians a platform, we reached out for an exclusive chat with Victoria about the impact of the loss of her show.
“When I started Future Soul, people were confused, but now the support has grown in so many ways since starting the show because of the space it provides,” she told The Mirror in an exclusive chat. “Every single show I recorded was such a blessing and being able to champion so many artists who have never received a play on the station or have never been played in the UK.”
Victoria, from Manchester, has seen how there has been little support for emerging musical talent. “People in the industry that are behind the decisions of playing and championing R&B and soul music aren’t always the biggest supporter or fan of [the genre]. They don’t know or appreciate the sound,” she said.
“The industry is looking at statistics and drifting away from talent. So it’s very hard for emerging artists to be seen. I don’t think the industry is doing enough,” she added. “I always referred to artists as ‘friends of the show’ to make them feel celebrated and loved in radio. A lot of artists don’t see the point in radio anymore because they’re not getting that love and appreciation and I wanted to change that.”
Nonetheless, Victoria is certain there are greater things in store for her and sees herself back in broadcasting at the BBC in no time. “I don’t think my time there is over,” she said. “I would love to continue to present on the BBC, whether that’s Radio 1 or 1Xtra or BBC Radio 6 Music – wherever!”
Victoria has received “immense” love and support from the R&B and soul community and hopes to land a new gig soon, so watch this space. until then, she’s focusing on making her own music, and recently released her new song, The One, featuring American artist John Givez and it’s available on all streaming platforms.