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AAA Music | 20 January 2025

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Introducing LZ7, the UK’s authentic answer to Black Eyed Peas

| On 26, Aug 2010

British children are up to something…but, contrary to the constant “the youth of today are up to no good” reports, our young people are “up to good”!!

Manchester based charity the Message Trust has launched ‘Shine Your Light’ – a bold national campaign to “make goodness fashionable”. Aiming to unleash the full potential of the nation’s young people, ‘Shine Your Light’ is challenging kids across the UK to do fifteen specific acts of kindness for their friends, family and local community including spending time with the elderly, buying lunch for a homeless person or picking up litter.

The theme tune for the ‘Shine Your Light’ campaign is a hip-hop recording of the 1920’s gospel children’s song ‘This Little Light’. Recorded by urban music collective LZ7, the video has already had more than 140,000 views and a new video has just gone live at youtube.

LZ7 – lead vocalist Lindz, Rob on drums, singer Nic and dancer/singer Nana – has a sound described as a mix of the Beastie Boys and Dizzee Rascal. The vast majority of the band’s time is spent in Manchester’s high schools teaching and talking with pupils but Lindz and the band travel widely, performing around the world to a growing fan base. The band released their second album ‘Gasoline‘ in 2008 and are currently writing songs for their new album ‘Light’.

The Message Trust is an award-winning charity working in schools, local communities and prisons with the aim of bringing hope, providing opportunities and releasing potential. The charity helps young people predominantly in the age group 11 – 18.

The ‘Shine Your Light’ campaign follows other successful campaigns including, in 2000, ‘Message 2000’ which saw 10,000 (mainly young) people doing good things during the summer in Manchester. During the 10 days of work in one estate, Swinton Valley, there were no recorded incidences of crime. Since the summer of 2000, police have reported a sustained reduction in crime.

Similarly in 2009 “Audacious 09” saw 1,000 young people take part in 50 community improvement projects in 25 locations across Greater Manchester. Projects included clearing rubbish, painting railings, removing graffiti and planting gardens etc in neglected areas of the city.