Update on Daisy Allen: Johnny Marr Award Winner 2024
Daisy Allen has firmly positioned herself in the Salford music scene. After winning the Johnny Marr Award in 2024, the 14-year-old has devoted herself to singing and spreading joy wherever she performs.
Daisy’s singing origin story isn’t as you might expect. Rather than attending years of lessons from a young age, she actually taught herself to sing by watching YouTube tutorials and practising in her room.
After doing a few gigs in the local area, her natural talent soon started to attract attention.
At the age of 13, she got the recognition she deserved when she won the Johnny Marr Award 2024 - an award created by The Salford Trust and The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to spotlight budding young musicians with impressive talent.
Daisy used the £1,000 award money to buy a keyboard and lessons to go with it, allowing her to expand her musical skills even further and add that extra flourish to her performances.
Since then, things have been non-stop for the young singer!
“To win this award has really boosted my confidence and I am so grateful.”
Taking centre stage
While the Johnny Marr Award gave Daisy the confidence she needed to start performing more frequently, her determination is what really set in motion the wheels for success.
Daisy started appearing at multiple gigs, festivals and open-mic nights, making her a familiar name on the local music scene.
Later in 2024, she won the Co-op Academies Trust ‘Young Musician of the Year’ award and became the third person to perform at the massive Co-op Live venue!
Not a bad start to her musical career.
She also found her calling in musical theatre and has combined her love of singing with a flair for theatrics.
Some of her most notable performances so far include the Lion in The Empty Space’s performance of 'The Wizard of Oz' and Anna of Cleves in the teen edition of 'Six: The Musical', led by Farnworth Performing Arts Company.
Playing one of the queens was a long-held dream of Daisy’s, which she can now say she’s fulfilled. We have no doubt there will be more milestones like this to tick off her list!
“When she is on stage she becomes a different person. Daisy comes alive.”
Singing for the community
In between numerous on-stage commitments, Daisy devotes her time to various charity gigs and events to generously give back to the Salford community.
Over Christmas 2024, Daisy fully channeled the season of giving and played several gigs for good causes. This included a charity gig for Aspire in Eccles - a care provider for people living with dementia and learning difficulties in Salford - where she sang the crowd into the festive spirit.
She also performed at Dobbies Sports & Social Club on New Year's Eve and donated her fee to the MND Association, which supports those affected by motor neurone disease.
Her talent later got her noticed by the mayoress of Salford herself, who asked Daisy to perform a 30-minute set at her 2025 Charity Spring Ball in aid of St Ann's Hospice and the Royal Naval Association.
When we say Daisy is making a difference through her music, we’re not exaggerating!
What’s next for Daisy?
Whilst building a career in singing and performing is her greatest dream, Daisy understands how the industry works and that it’s very difficult to make it big. With this in mind, she hopes to become a primary school teacher (her kind-hearted nature would serve her well here!) while continuing to perform on the side.
Despite only taking to the stage a couple of years ago, Daisy’s confidence has grown sevenfold and she “never would have believed she could come this far”. She invests huge amounts of her time and energy into perfecting her voice, acting and overall performance, and the venues and invites keep getting bigger and bigger.
Daisy’s pride in her work continues to power her future plans, and she hopes to do many more charity gigs and donate her time so that more people can enjoy her music. As part of this, she’ll be doing a charity gig in August to raise money for More than Men, a charity that helps to improve the mental health of men and boys in the area, as well as Lukefest, a festival that raises funds for young talented musicians.
As a “very proud Salfordian”, this is Daisy’s way of giving back.
The young singer has accomplished a tremendous amount in such a short period of time and we are privileged to be a part of her journey!
“I can’t put into words how proud we are of Daisy and all she’s achieved. She is very grateful for the opportunities she’s been given thus far and we are all excited to see what the future holds.”
Are you a young person with a talent for music? Maybe you know someone who is? We fund ambitious 5-25 year olds in Salford who are unable to fund their passion through another source. Check the eligibility criteria and apply now.