Jacqueline Springer, curator of Africa & Diaspora: Performance at the Victoria & Albert Museum, carefully curated the exhibition. Springer told Rolling Stone that it is a “celebration and understanding of how social and political histories are responded to by people and their cultures to provide the art we all enjoy.”

The exhibition explores the transformation of black music in Britain through colonialisation over the years and commemorates the legacy of these artists by shining a light on all their historic moments. By exploring 8 different genres, visitors can learn about the roots of black music and where it came from and what gives black music its own identity. Nearly 300 objects have been displayed to represent the origin of these genres: 2 tone, lovers rock, Brit funk, jungle, drum & bass, trip hop, UK garage and grime.

This immersive experience combines sound and video to create a sensory landscape in which cultural artifacts can also be seen. The collection will include a plethora of items ranging from instruments to costumes as well as photography.

Culturally significant objects like Stormzy’s Union Jack vest can be viewed, reminding visitors that he made history being the first black British solo artist to headline Glastonbury. The stab proof vest was designed by Banksy in 2019 and was a political statement, tackling the issues of identity and knife crime in the 2010s. Other notable exhibits are a piano from Winifred Atwell who became the first black artist to reach Number 1 on the UK single charts, and JME’s game console on which he recorded his first debut album before having professional equipment.

Springer also told Billboard that she wants people to leave this experience thinking “how incredible it is to live under the same sky as somebody who makes music that makes you feel better about yourself.” To have the full experience visitors will be given a headset to listen to the carefully curated playlist that is personalised to different sections within the gallery. The playlist for the audio soundscape can be found here, featuring artists like Stormzy and Skepta.

Under 26s and student tickets are priced at £11, while regular tickets are between £22.50-£24.50, and can be found via the V&A Museum’s website

The V&A East shared, “This landmark exhibition will reveal how Black British music has shaped British culture. Spanning four continents and 12 decades, this is a story of excellence and struggle, resilience and joy,” with it focusing on “125 years of Black music-making in Britain.”

We’re excited to announce our first exhibition, The Music Is Black: A British Story, opening at V&A East Museum, East Bank, in 2025.
You can read more about it here: https://t.co/mIhqroEiE9 #vameast #TMIB

— V&A East (@vam_east) November 1, 2023

The Music Is Black will celebrate pioneers of black music including icons such as Janet Kay, Winifred Atwell and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, as well as modern day stars including Stormzy, Little Simz and Jorja Smith. The exhibition will also explore how musical greats including The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac were influenced by black music, drawing on its rich history to produce their now iconic works.

Promising an immersive experience, V&A East will draw on BBC archives, playbills, films, paintings and prints, amongst much more to provide an expansive walk-through of eras and stories. The curators are putting together “immersive AV and large-scale installations” to create a multi-sensory exhibition that will celebrate black music in all its glory.

Jaqueline Springer, curator of The Music Is Black, shared, “Music is the soundtrack to our lives, and one of the most powerful tools of unification. It brings collective and individual joy as we recite song lyrics at festivals and gigs, recall dance moves perfected in childhood bedrooms, and mime to guitar breaks, bassline drops and instrumental flourishes with glee.”

Springer continued, “Set against a backdrop of British colonialism and evolving social, political, and cultural landscapes, we will celebrate the richness and versatility of Black and Black British music as instruments of protest, affirmation, and creativity, and reveal the untold stories behind some of the world’s most popular music of all time.”

Hear more from Springer and her thoughts on music here:  

Continuing the BPI’s #BlackHistoryMonth ‘Saluting our Sisters’ project is Jacqueline Springer, Curator of Africa & Diaspora: Performance at @V_and_A, speaking about her experience of and hopes for the future of our industry. pic.twitter.com/2X1VkiCqM8

— BPI (@bpi_music) November 1, 2023

The Music Is Black will also delve into the impact that migration has had on music, highlighting the importance of the Windrush movement bringing new sounds from the Caribbean to the UK. The exhibition will take us on a journey from the Windrush era all the way through to the current chart-topping tracks that hold Afr0-Caribbean influence.

The exhibition is set to open in Spring 2025.

Tickets will be available to purchase here.