Jamal Edwards’ mother Brenda and stars including Mahalia and Max Cyrus pay tribute as he is honoured with posthumous award
Stars including Mahalia and Max Cyrus have paid tribute to music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards – someone who “turned on the light in the room” for others to shine.
Along with the YouTube star’s mother Brenda, they spoke to Sky News at the Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS) 2022 ceremony – at which he became the first recipient of the prize to be honoured posthumously.
Edwards, a YouTube star who helped launch the careers of artists including Ed Sheeran, Dave, Rita Ora and Jessie J, died suddenly at home in Acton, west London, in February at the age of 31.
Brenda Edwards (right) attended the ceremony with her daughter, Tanisha Edwards
Speaking as she was due to accept the prestigious MITS prize on her son’s behalf, for his outstanding contribution to the industry, Ms Edwards said he had been a “voice of calm” to many in the entertainment industry and beyond.
“I just wish I had that voice around me a bit more now,” she said.
Music stars including Jorja Smith, Little Simz, Mahalia and Cyrus were on the bill performing at the ceremony held in Edwards’ memory, as he joined previous winners including Kylie Minogue, Pete Tong, Sir Elton John and Annie Lennox.
Attending with her daughter Tanisha – both wearing blue as a nod to Chelsea FC, the club Edwards supported – Ms Edwards told Sky News: “I’m very proud to be receiving this award on behalf of Jamal. Very sad, obviously. I still haven’t come to terms with it, in a way of… he’s gone, I’m still on the ‘he’s here’.
“I have so many conversations with so many people talking about him in the present and I think that brings me quite a bit of joy because it shows that his legacy is still alive and what he wanted to achieve is still going.”
Born in Luton before moving to west London as a child, Edwards grew up on a council estate and went on to be appointed an MBE for services to music as well as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, which helps young people set up their own businesses.
His online urban music platform SBTV helped dozens of UK artists rise to prominence over the years.
At the MITS ceremony, he was remembered for his championing of young artists, but also for his work with good causes including mental health and homelessness charities.
Pic: Music Industry Trusts Award
“That was so important, he put it down into his last wishes that I continue what he’s doing and focus on mental health and wellbeing and young people, and focus on helping the homeless,” Ms Edwards said.
“Those were both things that he championed from a very, very young age. And he would go every single year at Christmas to help out in a homeless shelter for young people.”
Ms Edwards, a singer who appeared on X Factor and is also a panellist on Loose Women, said her son was a “behind the scenes person and was very shy”, but after his death people wanted to learn about the man who helped kickstart “all these amazing careers”.
She added: “I’m very proud of that, and the determination that he had and the tenacity that he had. And for him, the word wasn’t impossible. It was ‘I’m possible’. And I hold on to that all the time…
“I’m very proud of what he achieved. And I’m hoping that with us continuing the legacy that other young people will see: ‘I can achieve it’. If you just believe it, you can.”
Mahalia credits Edwards with helping her break into the industry
‘He turned on the light in the room for others to shine’
MOBO winner Mahalia, who was helped by Edwards when she was 12, told Sky News: “I think being from Leicester, trying to penetrate an industry that is kind of solely based in London felt pretty impossible…
“I remember meeting Jamal and just saying to him, ‘can I sing for you?’ and him saying, ‘yeah’. At that point he was really kind of having a moment in the music industry, and for him to give me just a couple minutes of his time… I think is really telling of the kind of guy he was.
“It was him that gave me my first YouTube debut. I think he is and was an incredible man. I think people particularly coming through right now can learn a lot from him, to be honest.”
Cyrus, the musician and producer, who had worked with Edwards, described him as “a phenomenal human being with a great heart”.
He added: “Far too often we sometimes forget about the people who open the doors for others… he [turned] on the light in the room for others to have a light shone on them.”
In August, a coroner concluded that Edwards died after taking drugs and suffering cardiac arrhythmia.
After his death, his mother warned others of the dangers of taking recreational drugs, saying in a statement: “Jamal is proof that this can happen to anyone. His passing has shown that one bad decision on any one occasion can lead to devastating consequences.”
Dean Cain has been branded the “worst superman ever” as he announced he will join the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “ASAP”.
The 59-year-old, who was cast as Superman in the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, announced he had joined the team amid the federal agency’s unprecedented immigration raids.
He told Fox News on Wednesday his recruitment video on Instagram had gone viral and since then, “I have spoken with some of the officials over at ICE and I will be sworn in as an ICE agent ASAP”.
“You can defend your homeland and get great benefits,” he said in the Instagram post where he appealed for his followers to join ICE.
Speaking with the Superman theme song in the background, he said “hundreds of thousands of criminals” had been arrested since US President Donald Trump took office.
He then told his followers they would get a series of benefits if they joined ICE, including a $50,000 (£37,407) signing bonus and student loan repayment.
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“If you want to help save America ICE is arresting the worst of the worst and removing them from America’s streets,” he said, before adding: “I voted for that.”
ICE agents are under pressure from the White House to boost their deportation numbers in line with Mr Trump’s campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
Cain’s post on Instagram received some backlash, with one user commenting: “Worst superman ever”.
Another said: “Shame on you Dean – that’s the most un-Superman thing you could possibly advocate.”
One fan turned against him and said: “Until I saw this I was such a fan. What a sad human being you must be.”
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Oasis gig at Murrayfield in Edinburgh beats Taylor Swift for most ‘ground-shaking’ concert
Oasis provided the most “ground-shaking” performance at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium when they last performed there in 2009, according to analysis of seismic data.
The Gallagher brothers’ last Scottish gig has topped the chart for the most powerful seismic concert at the venue in the past 20 years, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.
Oasis’ June 2009 gig beat the Red Hot Chili Peppers in June 2004, Kings of Leon in June 2011 and Taylor Swift in June 2024 – when measuring the peak earthshaking power of each event.
Noel Gallagher. Pic: PA
The measurements were taken from a seismic monitoring station, some 4km from the venue.
At peak power of 215.06kW, the Oasis gig was more than twice as powerful as the next strongest one by the Red Hot Chili Peppers at 106.87kW.
Murrayfield Stadium’s most seismic concerts:
• Oasis: 17 June 2009, 215.06kW
• Red Hot Chili Peppers: 14 June 2004, 106.87kW
• Kings of Leon: 26 June 2011, 96.18kW
• Taylor Swift: 8 June 2024, 82.56kW
• Foo Fighters: 8 September 2015, 78.65kW
• Harry Styles: 26 May 2023, 65.38kW
• Beyonce: 20 May 2023, 29.31kW
• Robbie Williams: 31 May 2025, 14.18kW
• Bon Jovi: 22 June 2011, 13.20kW
• Spice Girls: 8 June 2019, 10.63kW
• One Direction: 3 June 2014, 6.82kW
The rankings were revealed ahead of Oasis’ return to the Scottish capital this weekend as part of their comeback tour.
The power output is not related to the volume of the band or the crowd; rather, it is the movement of fans jumping and dancing in time to the music, with the height of the jumping and weight of the crowd also potential factors.
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BGS seismologist Callum Harrison said: “In 2009, seismic signals generated by Oasis fans were consistent with a crowd energy of 215kW at its peak – enough to power around 30 of the scooters featured on the iconic Be Here Now album cover.
“Our network of sensors around the country is sensitive enough to pick up ground movement from a source miles away that may not be detectable to humans – and precise enough to register exact timestamps for when the events occur.
“The peak energy reading was recorded around 8.30pm on that June evening back in 2009, which correlates to the time the band first took the stage and performed Rock ‘N’ Roll Star, which couldn’t be more fitting in terms of topping our seismic music chart.”
The BGS keeps an archive of continuous ground motion recordings from seismic sensors around the country, dating back several decades.
Mr Harrison said: “Improving our understanding of historical earthquakes is an important part of BGS research in trying to understand and mitigate the seismic risk around the country.”
Oasis will take to Murrayfield’s stage on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, so there is potential for another “shakermaker”.
Mr Harrison said it is “certainly possible” the band could top their 2009 gig, adding: “We’ll just have to wait and see.
“The main contributing factors are going to be how energetic the crowd is. If they’re jumping along with the music, how high or how fast are they jumping?”
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