An Ayrshire talent spotter who first discovered Scots star Lewis Capaldi has told how his time at a local university ‘opened doors’ to his successful career.
Scott Kirkwood, 29, first unearthed the ‘Someone You Loved’ sensation thanks to his course at University West of Scotland in Ayr.
The former BA Commercial Music student first laid eyes on the now global superstar while working in a role at the Scottish Music Centre, where he programmed the youth tour initiative ‘Hit The Road’.
Scott, from Kilmarnock, then helped launch one of the biggest success stories for a Scottish artist, with Capaldi hitting the heights with two UK No 1 singles and his debut album ‘Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent’ reaching the top spot after its release in 2019.
As well bringing Capaldi to the forefront, Scott also helped Glasgow pop artist KLOE reach stardom guiding her to signing with major label Columbia.
Now the chief of his own management company, Kingdom Management, the A&R man is returning back to his Ayrshire roots to inspire the next generation of students at UWS.
Reflecting on his time as a student, Scott told Ayrshire Live: “Being enrolled at the UWS opened many doors for me early on, including a role at the Scottish Music Centre where I programmed the youth tour initiative Hit The Road. This was how I first discovered Lewis Capaldi.”
Scott hopes to give students on the same course a platform to take their music projects to the next level.
Students who were once in his shoes will be given the chance to score £1,000 of funding through a Music Enterprise award, plus a support package of mentorship, support and advice from Kingdom Management.
To access the amazing opportunity, students who demonstrate strong entrepreneurial skills and have developed innovative concepts will be shortlisted.
They will then front a Dragon's Den style pitch to Kingdom Management staff, who will select the winning projects.
Scott hopes his story of discovering Capaldi will motivate other Ayrshire students.
He added: “I'm proud of where I am from and hope that the success that Lewis has had will inspire others from Ayrshire, or attending the Ayr Campus. You don't have to be based in London to carve out a career for yourself.”
“If you want to go for it, do it. Don't be afraid to take chances and don't be afraid of getting shot down. You'll hear 'no' a lot — in fact, you'd better get used to it. But if you don't ask, you don't get.”
BA Commercial Music Programme Leader Allan Dumbreck said: “This is a key initiative for UWS, and we really are delighted to be working with Kingdom Management on this award.
“While the funding will be incredibly helpful, the real prize is the mentorship and depth of industry expertise our students will gain from working with such a successful company.”
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