Julia urges US to jump on board UK music scene (From Western Telegraph)

Julia urges US to jump on board UK music scene

HAVING spent the last 12 months tirelessly plugging her own album, Pembrokeshire singer/ songwriter, Julia Jones, has turned promoter to sing the praises of other British talent.

From Times Square in New York City, the Narberth-born songstress recently launched The Britbus Tour, on board an iconic double decker that will travel 3,000 miles across America over the next 12 days.

"The New York to LA double-decker dash is a fierce publicity campaign, which hopes to gain enough media coverage to draw the music-buying public's attention back to the latest British albums that are winning new audiences world-wide," organisers said.

The innovative promotional tour was dreamed up by Julia in 2002 after a report, commissioned by the British Government, highlighted serious concerns over the decline of British music in the US.

Now, almost three years later the singer has set the wheels in motion to put British music back on the American map.

"The thing that is most exciting about the launch of this event is that in 2003 I took it to the big players - the major brands whose assistance would have enabled us to put this together in a few months," Julia told the Western Telegraph.

"They were understandably hesitant to commit to such a new event and very reluctant to return my calls and e-mails."

Not to be defeated, she decided to do it anyway and within the last four weeks major brands have now jumped on board.

"We hope that after we have managed to launch this once, we will secure the major support necessary to develop The Britbus Tour into an annual, high-profile, British music event in the USA, promoting all the fantastic new British talent we have to offer," she said. To keep up to date with the tour, visit www.thebritbustour.com.