On Friday afternoon, Sheffield city centre was taken over by the city’s musical talent as DJ AG brought his livestream DJ sets back to South Yorkshire.
The event was organised to launch a new scholarship. WaterBear College of Music has partnered with DJ AG to offer a fully funded BA Honours degree place for 2026 at its Sheffield campus. The scholarship will cover full tuition fees for the three-year Professional Music degree and includes mentoring support for the successful applicant.
The award is open to artists across performance, production, electronic music, music business and songwriting pathways. Applications open on 1 April 2026 and close on 30 June 2026.
DJ AG’s livestream was a celebration of all things Sheffield, with the Lord Mayor donning sunglasses and jumping on the desks, followed by Reverend and the Makers, Steve Bracknall and Royal Oak FC leading the crowd in a version of ‘Silence Is Talking’.
As well as stalwarts of the Sheffield music scene, the event also spotlighted the next generation. Many of the performers were participants in WaterBear College of Music and the Slambarz music programme.
There was a sense of one generation of musicians passing the torch to the next. This was best summed up when MC Forca joined Steve Edwards for a version of his anthem ‘World, Hold On’.
We spoke to Forca when he stepped off stage after performing his own song. Grinning, he described the moment as “an amazing feeling. We do regular shows, but to do something with the public and see the kids go crazy – amazing. The mix of people coming as one. Representing the sound that was born here, which is bassline.”
Forca is coming to the end of his master’s course at WaterBear College. Speaking to Exposed about the college he said, “The course is amazing, man. The facilities are great. The tutors are amazing. Talented people everywhere. When you’re walking around it’s inspiring.”
I asked him about appearing with Steve Edwards later on. Jokingly, he said, “Shhh, no one knows yet. No one knows. I’m looking forward to that. I’ve only just written the lyrics, so we’ll see if it lands.”
It landed, and then some. The entire crowd was singing along. Steve, Forca, and AG appeared to be having a stellar time as they danced together, with Steve and Forca, two generations of Sheffield music talent, sharing a stage and performing.
With the new DJ AG WaterBear scholarship, the door is now open for future talent. It is an exciting opportunity for young artists and a moment for Sheffield as we eagerly await the music they’ll create.
Full eligibility details and application information will be published on the WaterBear website.
