Keychange at Tallinn Music Week: First Talent Lab

From April 3rd to 5th, Tallinn Music Week brought together our network in Estonia for an inspiring few days focused on leadership and diversity in the music industry. We featured the first-ever Talent Lab as part of our Talent Leadership Programme, setting the stage for a visionary exchange of ideas and expertise.

One of the standout moments was the inaugural meeting of the Keychange Leaders, marking the beginning of a new journey for our participants. A special thank you to our speakers who helped shape this moment: Christina Hazboun (Advocacy and Knowledge Manager at Keychange), Joe Frankland (CEO, PRS Foundation & Keychange Board Member), Tiffany Fukuma (Executive Director of Keychange), Aysha Hussain (Keychange Research Manager), and Magda Cholyst (Keychange TLP Manager).

Tallinn Music Week once again demonstrated the importance of international networks and targeted support programmes in driving meaningful change within the industry. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to making these days impactful and look forward to the next chapter of the Talent Leadership Programme at Reeperbahn Festival in September.

Announcing the Keychange Inspiration Award Winner

For the first time, we opened a global call for nominations for the Keychange Inspiration Award, honouring individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the music industry. Traditionally selected by Keychange partners, we invited our wider community to participate in the selection process.

We are thrilled to announce that the Keychange Inspiration Award 2025 winner is Nicky Böhm!

"Initiatives like Keychange are pivotal in this journey to move beyond tokenization and visibility politics. It’s not just about opening doors, but creating sustainable pathways that seed tangible space. If we want to reconfigure the hierarchies, we need to continue to challenge the status quo, speak uncomfortable truths to those in leadership positions, and not be afraid to hold their feet to the fire. We also need to reimagine relations of care, reciprocity, and resistance, embrace our interdependencies, and cultivate the radical kindness that we all need to thrive. Together we can move from passive hope to active solidarity."

– Nicky Böhm

A huge thank you to all our nominees: Beril Sarıaltun / Kreşendo, Jakob Sørensen, Nicky Böhm / Refuge Worldwide, Mary Otumahana, Mélanie Gourvès, Women in Live Music (WILM), Maiju Talvisto, and We Make Noise. Your contributions are shaping the future of the industry.