Tragic death
Music mogul Jamal Edwards raised Ed Sheeran and Jessie J, now he died at just 31
Edward’s platform was the springboard for a generation of stars
© Tobias Hase / Picture Alliance
As a student, Jamal Edwards was the first to “had” the idea of introducing unknown musicians to YouTube. Numerous musicians owe their careers to his platform SVTV. He died on Sunday at the age of 31.
Jamal Edwards founded music platform SVTV when he was 15 after receiving a camera for Christmas. SBTV helped dozens of stars break through. Edwards was a director, writer, DJ, entrepreneur and designer and was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his work in music in 2014 at the age of 24. The careers of some of the world’s most successful musicians – including Ed Sheeran, Dave and Jessie J – launched on SBTV before they were signed to major labels.
Edwards said he started SBTV “with a £20 mobile phone” when he was still in school and then grew it into a leading online youth channel. His Youtube channel was founded in 2006 and today has 1.2 million subscribers and almost a billion views.
Edwards said he started SBTV to give his friends a platform. “It was frustrating going to school and everyone was talking about how to get our videos on MTV.”
“Youtube was about a year old then. I was like, ‘I got a camera for Christmas, I’m going to start filming people and upload them.'”
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“Everyone looked at me and was like, ‘What are you doing like you can compete with these big companies,’ but I was young enough to think I could make a difference.”
“I’m trying to focus on people who don’t have a platform like that. I don’t just want a really well-known artist, but also the emerging ones.”
Edwards was born in Luton in 1990 and grew up in Acton, West London. He earned a degree in Moving Image Media from Ealing College and worked in retail to support himself financially while working on SBTV.
As he found success, Edwards became involved in mental health and youth center funding. He did a lot to break the taboo on men’s mental health issues, spoke about his own fears and in 2021 started a project to renovate and reopen youth centers. Jamal attended the Brit Awards earlier this month and DJed at a concert in London on Saturday night. He was found dead on Sunday morning.
The industry is in shock after his death. A cause of death has not yet been given.
votes on his death
His official YouTube account said: “We lost a legend today. Jamal Edwards was an inspiration to so many, supporting artists and shaping culture through SBTV.”
“I was on set today to learn the tragic news of the passing of my good friend Jamal Edwards and I am truly heartbroken,” actor Adam Deacon wrote on Twitter. “Jamal was one of the nicest, most down to earth and humble people I’ve met in this industry. He always made time for me, even when no one else did.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also expressed his condolences: “The British music and entertainment industry has lost one of its brightest stars.”
One fan wrote: “Jamal Edwards is quite simply one of the most influential people in the UK in the last 15 years, he’s done so much for so many people RIP”.