Town Hall Symphony Hall were delighted to present students of Devonshire Junior Academy with a Zoom workshop earlier this week, where they had the chance to learn the skills to become a Superstar Beatboxer in a world of funny sounds, brilliant noises and cool music.

SK Shlomo makes all kinds of music using just his mouth and a mic. The critically acclaimed world-champion beatboxer has previously collaborated with Bjork, Ed Sheeran and Lily Allen, played at Glastonbury and broken world records with his jaw-dropping vocal gymnastics.

A drummer and percussionist from the age of 8 years old, SK Shlomo developed his beatboxing talents in response to restrictions on how often he could practise his beloved drums. These breathtaking vocal skills gained him early recognition as an internationally acclaimed beatboxer.

SK Shlomo first burst into the mainstream after appearing on BBC2’s Later… With Jools Holland, collaborating with Björk and performing with famous fans from Damon Albarn, Lily Allen and Jarvis Cocker to Imogen Heap, Martha Wainwright and Rudimental.

He soon became the first ever World Looping Champion and taught his friend Ed Sheeran some tricks. SK Shlomo became Artist in Residence at London’s Southbank Centre, played the main stages at Glastonbury, won rave reviews for his autobiographical one-man shows and even became the subject of an award-winning feature documentary, The Beatbox Choir.

But everything changed at the age of 27 when he became a father. Frustrated and exhausted by late nights on the road, SK Shlomo started thinking about ways to teach his skills to the younger generation and began touring a family show called Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventure For Kids. The show became a phenomenal success, with five star reviews and sell out shows from the Royal Albert Hall to the Edinburgh Festival.

Since 2017 SK Shlomo has been championing mental health in his work, including becoming a role model for young people by talking about mental health at his family shows. In 2019, after nearly 2 years off the road battling depression, he launched his debut studio album ‘Surrender’, and a new one-man stage show of the same name, both raising money for the mental health charity Young Minds.

Surrender was supported by BBC Radio 1, and BBC Music Introducing, including a performance in their Live Lounge, and the subsequent tour reached over 140 performances, including his biggest solo show to date on the OtherStage at Glastonbury Festival. After its theatrical premiere at the Edinburgh Festival, Surrender was shortlisted for the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Mental Health Award.