DIGITAL COVER | JUNE 2025

SUPPORTED BY AMAZON MUSIC UK

Words: Nadine White
Photography: KillerWithTheAim
Art Direction: JP & Hyperfrank
Art Design: Adam Gill

In just five years, +44 has grown into a cornerstone of UK Black music culture. Launched by Amazon Music UK in 2020, the platform now spans a flagship playlist, a critically-acclaimed podcast, original video content, live shows and artist development initiatives. At the heart of this evolution is Dellessa James—the driving force behind +44’s brand and vision—and her small but dedicated team, which includes fellow TRENCH cover stars Marco Giuliani (Senior Label Relations Manager) and Mark Lampo (Senior Music Programmer).

As Amazon Music UK’s Senior Artist Relations Manager, Dellessa has overseen the platform’s rise with a clear purpose: to centre Black music and creators, while building original, long-term and impactful infrastructure. Dellessa and I meet at Big Sky Studios in North London for our interview on a Spring afternoon. Donning a hot-pink blazer, the media maven bursts into a smile as she excitedly speaks about the jam-packed calendar of celebratory events for +44’s fifth birthday. “It seems crazy because it’s gone so quickly,” Dellessa tells me as we sit down. “From the launch to where we are now, we’ve achieved a lot. I’m just proud that we were able to amplify Black voices, Black content creators and Black artists in an authentic way; that was key for me. +44 needs to feel like us. That’s how we’ve built trust: by showing up as ourselves and not diluting the culture.”

Dellessa’s deep ties to music are generational. She grew up in a musical household shaped by soundsystem culture; her mother, dubbed “The Queen of Dub”, ran the Militant Soundsystem. From her earliest years, basslines and community gatherings were part of the atmosphere. “It’s all very organic with my family,” Dellessa explains. “My mum’s not alive anymore—she passed away in 2013—but she had a soundsystem. There was always music coming through the house; big basslines constantly rattling the walls.” The +44 boss laughs with a nostalgic twinkle in her eye: “Me and my sister would be the ones saying, ‘Mum, turn it down! We’ve got school tomorrow!’ We were basically the adults in the relationship. Music and creativity run through my family. It’s always been in our lives.”

This upbringing shaped her understanding of music as both storytelling and social glue—a perspective that continues to inform her work today. Creativity and cultural celebration also run through the wider family: her sister taught herself to play “every musical instrument under the sun”; her cousin, Jenna, is a dancer who’s toured with 50 Cent; and her other cousin, Manny Swarv, is a respected events curator whose eponymous brand is known for dynamic, immersive experiences that celebrate Black artistry and expression. At his events, it’s not uncommon to find Dellessa’s relatives behind the bar, working the door or helping backstage—underscoring a family-wide commitment to creativity and building spaces for Black joy.

L-R: Dellessa James, Senior Artist Relations Manager; Marco Giuliani, Senior Label Relations Manager; Mark Lampo, Senior Music Programmer

This shared ethos of creating platforms—both literal and symbolic—is something Dellessa continues to carry through her work at +44. Working with integrity is important to her. “For me, integrity is doing it our way,” she says, “not being influenced, just connecting with our audience and being our true selves.” Rather than chasing clout or metrics alone, Dellessa has steered +44 with a strong editorial approach. Under her leadership, the platform has committed to nuanced storytelling, content that reflects real lives and sustained investment in both talent and audience.

The +44 Podcast, which she co-created and produced, has featured honest conversations with major names like rapper Avelino, who opened up about his experience as an asylum seeker—a moment that brought timely, humanised context to national debates around migration. Dellessa’s approach to artist relations is intentional and holistic. For example, she helped to bring wider attention to personalities like Zeze Millz and Sideman, who have gone on to become high-profile cultural figures. Dellessa has also worked with creatives like Cristale, Cuppy and Mimi The Music Blogger, curating projects that spotlight individuals not just for their music but for their stories, viewpoints and influence. “I don’t do this work for the accolades,” she explains. “I do it because I love it, and it means the world to me when someone says, ‘You helped me’, even if we’ve never met in person.”

What sets +44 apart from other platforms is its multifaceted identity. It is at once a discovery engine, an incubator of talent, a storytelling hub, and a space for connection. From curating moments at festivals like Wireless and Notting Hill Carnival to producing exclusive performances and documentary-style campaigns, +44 operates as a dynamic cultural brand—and one that commands attention beyond streaming stats. The platform has played host to some of the most talked-about moments in recent Black British music history. Notably, its collaboration with Rampage Sound at Notting Hill Carnival attracted icons like Idris Elba, Shaggy, Dizzee Rascal and Giggs, culminating in a viral performance that became a defining cultural moment. These aren’t just stunts—they’re part of Dellessa’s long-standing strategy to place +44 at the centre of Black British cultural life, both online and on the ground.

With over two decades in the music and radio industries—from BBC 1Xtra and Radio 1 to artist management and mentorship—Dellessa has brought a breadth of experience to her role at Amazon. She’s not only a trained producer and radio veteran, but also a mentor, teacher (formerly at Birmingham City University) and strategist, who has worked across editorial, technical and creative functions. Dellessa has taken her lessons from years at the BBC, where she began by answering phones and cleaning on the side and producing shows before winning awards while building a network of trust with artists.

She has since parlayed that experience into a leadership style grounded in collaboration and elevation. Apprenticeships, open-access sessions and weekly forums with +44 allow new and established creatives to pitch directly to the team, ask questions, and build networks. These structures, conceived and implemented under Dellessa’s watch, have helped break down traditional gatekeeping within the music industry. While her rise to prominence has been far from linear—propelled through grit, hustle and determination—the executive sees it as her responsibility to give back.

“I don’t think I know any other way,” she says. “I come from a single-parent family. It’s either you go and get it, or you don’t have it. People DM me all the time, even when I’m on holiday. But I do see supporting others as my responsibility. I feel privileged to be where I am and I don’t sit on my throne; my job is to help the next generation.” The impact of +44 is clear in the lives it has changed, the careers it has launched and the cultural credibility it commands. But for Dellessa, success is also about feeling. Feedback from listeners, engagement from the community and visible excitement from artists are all part of what keeps the mission alive. It’s not just that people are watching and listening; they’re learning, connecting and aspiring.

Looking ahead, Dellessa is focused on embedding +44 more deeply into the fabric of the culture. She envisions a legacy community—a long-term ecosystem where artists, creators and audiences evolve together. Part of that work is already underway: the platform’s fifth anniversary was recently marked with a series of live events, including a partnership with City Splash Festival, a panel at the London Podcast Show, and a long-awaited collaboration with Room 187’s R&B karaoke collective.

Behind the powerhouse role, Dellessa is also a working mother, navigating the realities of parenthood, career and wellbeing; she credits early mornings, training and swimming as vital forms of self-care. While her phone rarely stops buzzing with messages from artists, creatives and contacts, she has learned to protect her boundaries and prioritise what matters most. Motherhood, Dellessa says, has softened and sharpened her in equal measure: “I get to become a kid again! My son loves dinosaurs, and swimming too. But everything I do now—every podcast, every event—I’m setting up for him. One day, he’ll see all of this and understand who his mum is.”

With five years behind it and so much ahead, +44 is continuing to thrive as a platform, community and a cultural archive in the making. It is powered by purpose and steered by one of the UK’s most influential figures in Black British music. “I’m always thinking about what’s next, but I’m really trying to enjoy these moments,” Dellessa says of its half-a-decade tenure. “We’re here, we’re living, and we’re growing.”